Vol. 519 No. 4
10 Mr. D. Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the plans, if any, he has to establish clearly defined targets for the control and ultimate eradication of tuberculosis and brucellosis in cattle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13749/00]
Under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, the relevant parties have agreed to the adoption of a number of measures with the objective of reducing the current incidence of TB by 50% and of making significant progress towards the eradication of brucellosis within the next four years.
Specifically in relation to TB, it has been agreed to commit resources in each district veterinary office to carry out investigative work into the causes of herd breakdowns, to take a proactive approach to the removal of all sources of infection in each DVO area using 75 dedicated departmental and farm relief service personnel and to concentrate their efforts in the 20% of the country which yields 50% of current reactors. The distribution of these resources and the details of the other arrangements of the disease eradication programme will be finalised in consultation with the farming and veterinary organisations in the animal health forum.
A recent decision by the Department now determines that, where inconclusive animals are found, especially in the export of weanlings, the other animals tested in that batch are not entitled to an export certificate. Will the Minister of State give me the veterinary background to that decision given that the inconclusive animal would always have been held back for a test in any event? That has been the normal practice for many years. Only about 30% of inconclusive reactors test positive afterwards. Will the Minister of State give the House the veterinary reason for what I call a daft decision?
No decision in the animal health area is daft. The cost of animal health is substantial to the farmer and the taxpayer. It is the job of the Department to protect the taxpayer and get value for money.
Cattle which have been tested are being denied export certificates.
An inconclusive animal has always been a difficulty for farmers and both Deputies know that. I will give the figures. The measures which been put in place in the past two to three years have meant that we have made great progress in disease control. Last year the incidence of reactor herds nationally was 498 and it is 324 this year.
There is only six months gone this year.
That is a major improvement which has been made by putting in place good measures and enforcing strict discipline. I am impressed with the performance, and that is this year to date.
There is only six months gone in this year so far.
Yes, but it is progress. When I came into office three years ago, the situation was appalling.
Last year was the worst of the three years.
Yes, but what did I inherit?
That is only ráiméis.
Deputies should not intervene without the Chair calling upon them.
I will look at the situation. I have heard what the Deputy said.
11 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the plans, if any, he has to ensure that farmers and other rural dwellers obtain the necessary information technology skills to exploit development in information technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13759/00]
Teagasc is the body with statutory responsibility for the provision of educational and training services in agriculture. I have provided additional funding of £2 million to Teagasc in the current year to fund capital development for agricultural training including the upgrading of IT facilities. I understand that it is envisaged that ten agricultural colleges and ten Teagasc local centres will have IT laboratories by June. Further information concerning Teagasc's plans for the provision of IT training to farmers and other rural dwellers is available from that body.
What proportion of applications can be made through e-mail or the Internet? Many farmers have e-mail and Internet facilities. Is the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development able to handle applications by e-mail?
The Department is one of those participating in the e-Government scheme. I have said on numerous occasions that we in the Department need to be ahead of the industry and farmers. Earlier this year a new post was created in the Department for the first time at assistant secretary level with complete responsibility for IT matters. Tremendous progress has been made in several areas and e-mail facilities are available in every section of the Department. Those facilities are not available to each of the 4,000 individuals in the Department, but it is available in every centre in the country. If anyone wants to do business with the Department by e-mail they can certainly do so.
This is an important development as until lately we referred to rural Ireland's material poverty, but we may be entering an age of information poverty. This is not a trick question – have there been any surveys to determine how many farmers have IT facilities? It would be important for the Department to ensure the maximum level of education in this area for farmers. Are there any plans for a subsidy or once-off grant to allow farmers to purchase computers? Given the amount of bureaucracy now involved in farming, it could be very important for people to use that method for applications and forms.
I do not have precise information on the degree of IT literacy in the farming community, but it is increasing substantially, particularly among younger farmers. I asked Teagasc about its course and services some time ago and the greatest demand from young farmers is for IT services and courses. I know Deputy Creed visited the IT laboratory in Darrara Agricultural College, which is widely used and for which there is a waiting list of farmers and their spouses. Many farm spouse with guesthouses use the Internet and e-mail for guest registration. Teagasc provides a relatively short course leading to the European computer driving licence in IT skills and that is being widely availed. That is why I made the initial funding available to Teagasc, which is linking up with the institutes of technology and universities in Ireland and around the world. Teagasc is now working as an outreach centre for the institutes and universities.
