Animal Disease Controls

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 July 2013

Thursday, 18 July 2013

Questions (623)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

623. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of grant aid available to assist farmers who have to dispose of calves under the BVD eradication scheme; the reason this grant is not available for all who have disposed of it; if he accepts that this poses severe problems for small herd owners; if he considers the compensation offered fully compensates farmers for the loss of the calves in question; and if not the reason the compensation does not fully cover this cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36593/13]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The provision of funding for compensation in the context of the compulsory phase of the BVD programme must be placed in the context of the economic benefits accruing to farmers arising from the eradication of this disease and, particularly, the short payback time involved for individual farmers as well as the scarce budgetary resources available to my Department. It has been estimated that the overall benefit of the eradication of this disease is beneficial to farmers. Notwithstanding this and taking account of the slightly longer payback period for suckler cow producers compared with dairy farmers, I have made compensation available to suckler cow farmers who have multiple cases of persistently infected calves in their herds in order to encourage the early disposal of such calves. The compensation scheme offers farmers €100 for the second and subsequent calves removed from suckler herds to a knackery under the BVD Eradication Programme.