Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 June 2012
5Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the restrictions that are in place on farmers whose farms are adjoining a farm testing positive for TB; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28864/12]
View answerThe bovine TB eradication programme includes a comprehensive range of measures aimed at eradicating TB from the cattle population in Ireland through testing and the control of cattle movements in order to prevent the spread of disease. More specifically, the programme provides for the mandatory annual testing of all cattle in the national herd, the implementation of a range of supplementary tests and the restriction of herds where TB is disclosed or suspected.
With regard to restrictions on holdings which adjoin a holding containing a herd which has disclosed TB, my Department has implemented what is known as a contiguous testing programme for the past 30 years. Under this programme, herdowners whose herds are adjoining a holding where a high-risk TB breakdown has been disclosed, usually involving more than one reactor, are required to have their herd tested if it has not been tested within the preceding four months. Herdowners whose holding adjoins a holding experiencing a low-risk breakdown, usually involving a single reactor, are informed of the breakdown in the neighbouring herd and are advised of the precautions to take but are not required to have their herd tested.
The eradication programme is reviewed on an ongoing basis by my Department in light of experience and research. Following a review conducted on the programme last year, my Department introduced a number of changes to ensure the programme addressed all potential sources of infection and to prevent the spread of disease from infected herds to clear herds. These changes, which were made following a number of consultation meetings with the farming organisations, are in the first instance based on research demonstrating there are increased risks attached to the movement of certain animals and second, are designed to protect clear herds from buying in high-risk animals. For example, research has shown the TB risk relating to animals that move out of herds which have been identified as contiguous to a herd experiencing an active high-risk TB breakdown is almost three times greater than the risk in the case of herds tested on a round test.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
The only change which my Department has made to the arrangements relating to the testing of neighbouring or contiguous herds is that herds adjoining a high-risk breakdown are now being trade-restricted, except to slaughter, pending a TB test. They will, however, be permitted to buy in cattle for a short period while awaiting a test. Previously, such herds were permitted to sell cattle on the open market prior to carrying out the test and research had shown that this posed a risk to clear herds. The objective of the restriction is to protect clear herds from buying in infected animals from these herds and thereby avoid the clear herd being restricted for four months and the associated additional testing.
I have clarified the trade restriction only applies to those herds which are identified, following an epidemiological investigation by my Department, as being relevant to the breakdown herd and which have not been tested in the previous four months. Herdowners will be contacted by my Department prior to restriction and only those herds which, on a case-by-case consideration, are identified as genuinely relevant to the breakdown will be restricted. Those farmers whose herds are restricted can minimise any impact by arranging to have their herds tested as soon as possible. Any herd which tests clear will be immediately de-restricted.
I also wish to clarify the choice of four months as the benchmark period under this programme is not new and is part of the existing EU co-funded programme. The four-month period is related to the time interval from when an animal may be exposed to infection and the expectation that a test will give a positive result if the animal is infected. Finally, I believe the restriction on contiguous herds pending a test should have a very limited effect on trade in cattle. In effect, it is only those herds in which TB is disclosed that will be restricted for any significant period of time.
I thank the Minister for his reply. All Members are agreed this is an extremely important issue and it is essential that herds are kept free of disease and in particular of TB. However, the concern is there should not be overly severe restrictions on farmers whose farms are in proximity to farms on which there are infected herds. Once an acceptable level of disease control has been put in place, the farmer should be able to farm as normal and Sinn Féin has received some representations on this point. It also is important that no further additional costs be placed on the farmer due to the restrictions. Finally, I remind the Minister that I have spoken to him a number of times about one particular historical case. He might examine it again in the context of the effects on one particular farmer.
It is important to recognise this is a major concern to farmers. I have met individual farmers, farming organisations and collective groups of farmers on this issue in recent weeks. There is real concern that we should not overdo attempts to stamp out TB and thereby make life impossible for farmers. This applies in particular to contiguous herds because the only change my Department has made to the arrangements relating to the testing of neighbouring or contiguous herds is that herds adjoining a high-risk breakdown are now being trade-restricted, except for slaughter, pending a TB test. Consequently, there is an impact on farmers in this regard. On foot of my Department's discussions with farming organisations, we have made some changes because of the representations they have made. For example, it had been intended to have an automatic freezing of a herd if one happened to have a herd contiguous to a herd that contained a reactor or reactors. While there also were some communications problems that now have been ironed out, if, following communication with the farmer, a reasonable case can be made that there would be an extremely low risk of transmission of the disease between one herd and the other, an inspector or a vet can then make a judgment call as to whether that farmer should be trade-restricted. In other words, in a scenario in which a farmer has a field of barley between his or her herd and the contiguous herd or if there is a narrow buffer strip of forestry or whatever, it should be possible to apply a practical approach. We should not impose trade restrictions on farmers unless this is absolutely necessary.
There has been strong lobbying, asking us to review the four month period. Contiguous herds need to be tested and are restricted if they have not had a test within four months. Farming organisations would like us to extend that period to six months because that would ensure that in a worst case scenario there would not be a need for three tests in a year which would be very expensive and time consuming for farmers. I am looking at that but I must also take veterinary advice in this regard. We have less incidence of TB now than at any time since the 1950s. We are winning this fight and will eradicate TB in the not too distant future, which will be a fantastic achievement. I have to try to balance the concerns of farmers in respect of inconvenience with the advice I get from the vets in my Department. We will return to the farming organisations.
Will the Minister provide information in regard to the TB vaccination tests that are currently being carried out by the Department? I understand these are being carried out in counties Kilkenny and Longford, perhaps also in other counties.
I am not entirely sure what information the Deputy is seeking. Perhaps I can come back to him with a written answer. I do not wish to give him the wrong steer on the question.
