Environment Ministry Identifies Sites Suitable for Burying Culled Animals

Bratislava, March 24 (TASR) - The Environment Ministry has rejected original considerations about burying the animals slaughtered in connection with foot-and-mouth disease on Rye Island (Zitny Ostrov) in southern Slovakia, TASR learnt from the ministry's communications department on Monday. The ministry's experts in the areas of water protection, geology and waste have identified four more suitable locations. The state's crisis management units will have the final say on this. "Since the very beginning, the Environment Ministry has been providing full cooperation, selecting locations that don't pose any risk to groundwater, that are also acceptable from the environmental viewpoint and accessible in relation to needs stemming from the outbreaks in southern Slovakia in terms of logistics," said the ministry. According to the Environment Ministry, it's now up to the state's crisis management forces - the army or veterinarians, i.e. the Defence and Agriculture Ministries - to determine the most suitable location and then inform the public about it. Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) at the weekend ruled out the possibility that slaughtered animals might be buried on Rye Island, as the largest reservoir of drinking water in both Slovakia and Central Europe is situated there. He declared that sites should be chosen in areas where there will be no risk of contact with groundwater. The presence of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed at livestock farms in three villages in southern Slovakia - Medvedov, Narad and Baka. The cattle from these farms must be culled. The culling of cattle at the Baka farm is continuing at a rate of some 300 cows per day. This number is limited by the ability of Zilina-based facility to dispose of slaughtered animals in a safe manner. Therefore, the authorities are seeking other suitable facilities. ko/df