My Department recognises the importance of investigating and identifying the elements that contribute to the incidence of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.
In relation to TB, the main components in the spread of the disease are wildlife, animal to animal transmission, animal movements and poor farm management practices. The main factors in the spread of brucellosis are contiguity, animal movements and poor management practices including the management of manure.
The eradication programmes in place are supported by research programmes encompassing diagnostic, epidemiological and wildlife investigation projects. These projects involve the collaboration of staff in my Department, Teagasc, the universities and other agencies.
The veterinary, epidemiology and tuberculosis investigation unit based in the faculty of veterinary medicine, University College Dublin, provides direct support to the Department through the implementation of an agreed work plan that includes a wide range of epidemiological studies. The outcomes of many of these are published annually in a series of collected papers generally referred to as the Grey Book. The unit also has a significant input into other projects, particularly in regard to experimental design, geographic information systems support and subsequent statistical analysis.
The main strategic focus of the current research programme for bovine TB relates to the assessment of the role of badgers in the spread of the disease, the development of a vaccine for use in badgers and studies relating to disease diagnosis and genetic resistance in cattle.