asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the action he will take to ensure that farmers who bring their cattle to slaughter for post-mortem examinations for TB by the divisional veterinary officer will obtain the results from the divisional veterinary officer in a reasonable amount of time.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Bovine TB
64.
In normal circumstances my Department's veterinary officers are in a position to respond within a few days to requests from heardowners for the results of post mortem examinations of TB reactors. I am not aware that the present situation gives rise to difficulties for herdowners.
I assume that the Minister is aware that there are regular delays of two to four weeks involved and I ask him to investigate the matter further and to instruct the veterinary officers to give a verbal report to the farmers concerned. It is a very anxious time for farmers and they are in the position where they cannot sell or move their cattle. Farmers are obliged to pay aprivate vet to take the report from the veterinary officer and hand it to the farmer. This takes between two to four weeks and it is a regular practice. I regard it as restrictive and a closed-shop type of practice and I ask the Minister to investigate it further.
I am not aware of the particular problem the Deputy has brought to my attention. All animals slaughtered in meat export factories, including TB reactors, are subject to post mortem examination by the Department's veterinary inspectors. Any herd owner may request and be given, through his local district veterinary office, the results of the post mortem examination on his animals. The post mortem results for reactors are normally notified to the district veterinary officers on return of the slaughter permits to the factory, normally within ten days. The information also can be given by telephone on the day of slaughter, if special circumstances apply. However in cases of doubt about the presence of TB in the carcase or where samples from clear animals have to be subject to detailed laboratory analysis, involving culture specimens and microscopic examination etc., the results may not be available until some time later. I will take note of what the Deputy has said.