Jennifer Whitmore
Question:227. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the monitoring of the RHD2 virus in hares; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35640/21]
View answerThursday, 1 July 2021
Questions (227)
Written answers
Since the initial discovery of RHD2 in wild rabbits and hares in August 2019, the National Parks and Wildlife Service staff of my Department have continued to monitor for the disease with the assistance of colleagues in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Reports of suspected cases have been followed up and carcasses submitted to DAFM’s Regional Veterinary Laboratories for testing. Although dedicated surveys have not been possible, the available evidence suggests that RHD2 remains primarily a disease of rabbits, with some limited spill-over into hares. Furthermore, the total number of reports has declined noticeably in 2021. To date this year, four rabbits have been submitted for testing, with only one of these proving positive (this in an animal submitted by a private vet and suspected to be a pet rabbit). Five hares have also been submitted for testing since the start of 2021, four of these have proven negative for RHD2. We are still awaiting the results of the fifth hare. Monitoring will continue.