“We did not vote to leave the EU or Ireland, but sometimes it feels like it when one considers the neglect.”

That’s the view of Sligo-Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry on the potential closure of the regional veterinary laboratory (RVL) in Sligo.

The northwest lab is facing closure because of a major review of regional structures.

On Wednesday hundreds of farmers came out in force to protest against the Sligo RVL shutting its doors.

Closure would leave farmers in the northwest without a vital service and facing lengthy trips to the next-closest lab in Athlone.

The lab in Sligo performed over 3,000 post-mortems on cattle and sheep in 2016 and tested nearly 30,000 samples from farmers.

Impact on farming families

Politicians have been reacting to the news and speaking in the Dáil this week, Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry said: “People could be forgiven for asking when the attack on rural Ireland is going to stop.

“It defies logic from the scientific, agricultural and farming support points of view.

“It also adds a further nail to the coffin of rural and regional Ireland.”

“What cost does he put on equality of services to the farming families of the northwest and to the biosecurity of the part of the country that produces 40% of the country’s weanlings?”

Minister of State for Agriculture Andrew Doyle responded that the primary reason for the reviews were to “ensure we achieve both operational and scientific excellence”.

He also said that “any decision will be informed by a cost-benefit analysis”.

However, he then went on to say, “a cost-benefit analysis is part of it, but only part of it”.

Serious concerns about cross-contamination

Michael Fitzmaurice, TD for Roscommon–South Leitrim told the Dáil that “the west has gone through a rough period over several years.

“The importance of these laboratories for farmers in the areas cannot be overestimated.

“Approximately 50% of the cattle in Ireland and 85% of the total sheep flock are based along the west coast from Donegal to Clare.”

TD Tony McLoughlin met with staff from the RVL in recent weeks, who have concerns about “decreased surveillance, inadequate case histories, huge transport costs, cross-contamination, carcase quality, biosecurity and spread of disease,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy said: “The situation again raises questions regarding regional imbalance in services and infrastructure.”

“It is a vital service for suckler, beef and sheep farmers in this region,” he added.

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