The Irish border could not be sealed, Stormont ministers told during the foot-and-mouth crisis

During the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001, Northern Ireland faced significant challenges in curbing the spread of the disease from the Republic. Despite the efforts and concerns of Stormont ministers and officials, they acknowledged the impossible task of halting the disease's spread and the potential severe impact on food exports. The crisis required substantial resources and involved difficult decisions, such as the potential use of RUC officers and military support to control the situation. The failure to contain the disease in South Armagh and North Louth led to its spread to other regions, but the response was praised for its cross-Border cooperation. Despite the challenges, resources for disinfection at the Border were found to be inadequate, and the crisis had significant implications for public services in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland could not have stopped illegal transports of infected cattle from the Republic during the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001, a Northern Executive minister told colleagues. Newly released files from Northern Ireland’s Public Record Office in Belfast illustrate the concerns felt then by Stormont ministers and officials about the spread of the disease, particularly because of the damage facing food exports from the North. Highlighting the challenges, Northern Ireland’s minister for agriculture Bríd Rodgers said that a spread would require “considerable use” of RUC officers along the Border “in stopping vehicles and even slaughtering animals” along with support from the British Army. “We have already acknowledged that it is impossible to seal the Border and the only real advantage of this course of action is presentational,” the SDLP minister told fellow Executive ministers. “ln the event of spread of the disease within Northern Ireland, we face enormous problems,” she ...