A report on Laois Civil Defence responses and operations during the Foot and Mouth Crisis 2001.

Tuesday, February 20th. Reports of a case of FMD confirmed in the UK.

Friday, February 23rd. At the second training session of the year at No.2 base, Stradbally, the situation was mentioned. Possible scenarios were discussed, and further planning was initiated.

Wednesday, February 28rd. Suspect case identified in Northern Ireland.

Thursday, March 1st . Case confirmed in Northern Ireland. The Taoiseach announced on television that all state resources including the Civil Defence would be made available to deal with the situation. All routine C.D. training was cancelled until further notice along with other sporting and public activities including the local St. Patricks Day parades. Laois Civil Defence personnel were placed on stand-by status. Two response vehicles were prepared with disinfectant, sprayers, matting etc. A meeting was held with the local Dept. of Agriculture, County Council and Garda Siochana to discuss capabilities and responses.

Saturday, March 3rd. Laois C.D. began setting up disinfectant mats around the county. Locations included churches, libraries, schools and other public buildings. Initial supplies of disinfectant were also provided. For the rest of the month mats were topped up and supplies were replenished in locations where this was not carried out locally.

Tuesday, March 20th. Suspect case identified in Co. Louth.

Thursday, March 22nd. Case confirmed in Co. Louth.

Friday, March 23rd. A farm in Spink Co. Laois comes under investigation due to possible animal movements from Northern Ireland, connected with the outbreak there. At 2100 Gardai in Abbeyleix requested Civil Defence assistance for operations the following morning. A meeting was held at Abbeyleix Garda Station to discuss arrangements. A limited callout was put into operation.

Saturday, March 24th. Civil Defence units met up at Abbeyleix Garda station at 0815 and reported in. A briefing was held at which the need for disinfection at all times was emphasised. At 0930 the Civil Defence Transit minibus and Hilux with 5 personnel set out for Moyadd, near Spink to the restricted farm. The first task was to replace the temporary disinfectant mats with larger ones at all entrances. This took about an hour. At 1030 a search of nearby forestry was initiated. C.D.personnel along with Gardai were searching for animals from the restricted farm that were suspected to be in an enforested area about 2 sq. km. in area. The initial search discovered several dead animals whose position was marked using GPS. Between 1200 and 1730, three cattle, 14 sheep and a goat were located and herded (with some difficulty) to a collection point. At this point it emerged that considerable mixing with animals from another farm had taken place due to straying, which greatly increased the number of animals that had to be tracked down. Further extensive searches of nearby farmland were conducted during the evening and several more animals were rounded up. C.D. units were stood down for the night at 2200 and requested to report to Abbeyleix garda station the following morning.

Sunday, March 25th. The previous day's experience had shown that the Civil Defence role had changed from the initial one of disinfection to that of searching. Accordingly, 5 extra personnel and an additional vehicle in the form of the Skoda were assembled that morning at 0900. (Throughout, numbers were kept at a minimum to minimise movement and consequent risks of cross-contamination). The cull of animals on the first farm began that morning and two C.D. assisted at that location. The remainder resumed the search of land in the locality for additional animals. The Garda Air Support Unit helicopter was on site to conduct an infra-red search of some very-difficult-to-navigate forestry plantations, though no additional animals were found there.At around 1300 the search then moved on to another plantation about 1km down the road where some cattle had been spotted. Locating the animals was a lot easier than getting them into trailers, though. Two calves were removed from a ditch into which they had ran. The other animals were almost totally wild and after several unsuccessful attempts to herd them it was decided at 1630 to call a halt to the effort for safety reasons. A Garda marksman later shot the three remaining cattle in the field. Civil Defence personnel then assisted with removing the carcasses from the forestry. At this stage darkness had fallen, so portable lighting equipment came into use. Throughout the day the welfare team provided hot tea and sandwiches to all involved. By 2130 the search operations were completed, so the search personnel returned to the staging area to await complete the disinfection of all vehicles.

Monday, March 26th. There were no searches conducted after Sunday as all missing animals had been accounted for. On the first farm the cull had been completed and a cleanup was underway. Attention had now switched to the second farm and a cull was planned for Tuesday. Civil Defence operations were limited to getting vehicles resupplied with disinfectant and matting and making preparations for the following day.

Tuesday, March 27th. A request was received on Monday to provide assistance at the second farm when the cull was taking place. Three personnel and two vehicles accordingly reported that morning to Abbeyleix Garda station at 0830. once they got to the farm a tent was erected and cooking facilities were set up. Conditions were difficult because no straw could be brought in to prevent the ground getting mudded up. soup, tea and rolls were provided for approximately 30 people throughout the day. The Hilux and trailer were also used during the day to transport material required on site from the nearby Glanbia shop. Operations concluded at 1800.

Wednesday, March 28th. Preliminary tests from animals on the two farms returned negative. A large cleanup and resupply took place at No.2 Base Stradbally that evening to make sure all equipment and vehicles were again ready for use.

Thursday April 3rd. Final tests from animals prove negative for Foot and Mouth Disease.

Thursday, May 10th. Clearance given for training to resume.