asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will reconsider his decision to cut spending on TB eradication; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
126.
Written Answers. - Animal Disease Eradication.
125.
asked the Minister for Agriculture the services which will be changed or affected by the cutback from £22.05 million in 1985 to £19 million under C2, bovine tuberculosis eradication.
127.
asked the Minister for Agriculture the reason there is a cutback of £500,000 under C5, payments to bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis eradication scheme hardship fund (grant-in-aid); the services which will be changed or affected by cutbacks under C3, brucellosis eradication £4.7 million in 1985 to 4.25 million in 1986; and what the extra £1.252 million will be spent on under C4, general disease control and eradication.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 125, 126 and 127 together.
The financial provision for bovine TB and brucellosis eradication in 1986 was decided by the Government in the context of the overall budgetary situation and having regard to the various demands on scarce Exchequer resources.
It is expected that anticipated activity in 1986 on brucellosis eradication and depopulation of badly infected herds — met from subheads C3 and C5 respectively — can be accommodated within the amounts provided. In the case of tuberculosis, the emphasis will be on the counties and areas of highest disease prevalence.
Building on the experience of the current round ending in March and during which the national herd will, on average, have been TB tested about one and a half times, special programmes will be drawn up to concentrate activity on areas which can be expected to give the best return in terms of identifying reactors and reducing disease spread. The increased provision under subhead C4 is intended mainly to cover a possible liability, the precise outcome of which has still to be determined.