Dáil questions on bluetongue took an unexpected turn on Tuesday evening when Sinn Féin TD Cathy Bennett raised what The Dealer took on at its face to be a major curveball on our understanding of the virus and how it spreads.

Bennett referred no fewer than three times to the prospect of a “bluetooth” disease. Was bluetongue now spreading wirelessly, The Dealer wondered. Would the midge find himself out of a job.

A second watch of the debate would suggest that the deputy misread her speech.

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When it came to jumbling up animal disease terminology on the Dáil floor, one could say that Bennett put her foot in her mouth. That’s not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease.