Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 Apr 1993

Vol. 429 No. 6

Written Answers. - TB Reactor Testing.

Ivan Yates

Question:

220 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will review the arrangements for TB reactor testing so that where a farmer disputes the accuracy of a veterinary test for TB on an animal, and has good grounds, such as the recent purchase of livestock, to believe that they are clear of the disease, that they would have access to a blood test on the animal; that in all such circumstances, the results of the blood test would be made available to the farmer in question; if the blood test proved that there is not a reactor, that such a herd would not be locked up; and if, in view of the fact that the above circumstances have applied to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford, they will be allowed to sell stock.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. J. Walsh)

The intradermal tuberculin test is the officially recognised test for Bovine TB, both at EC level and internationally.

The development of an accurate blood test is at the experimental stage and an animal from the herd in question was blood sampled as part of on-going research on the development of a diagnostic blood based test. It is hoped that in the future a suitable blood test could be used to augment the tuberculin test but it is not intended that a blood test would change the status of an animal which fails the tuberculin test.