Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015
303. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if herdowners with animals that have tested positive for bovine viral diarrhoea are legally obliged to dispose of these animals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14752/15]
View answerThe National BVD Eradication Programme is an industry led programme delivered by Animal Health Ireland (AHI). The legislative basis for this is set out in SI 118 of 2014 which requires that all animals with a date of birth on or after 1 January 2013 must be tested for the presence of the BVD virus.
Excellent progress has been made on the programme to date with a very high percentage of herds complying with the requirement to test their calves and the incidence of PI animals falling from 0.67% in 2013 to 0.46% 2014, with a further reduction anticipated in 2015. However, there are still a relatively small number of non-participating herds and a number of farms on which persistently infected animals are being retained.
Following consultation with the BVD Implementation Group, earlier this month my Department issued restriction notices to non-participating herds, as they had failed to comply with their legal obligation to test their calves for BVD.
With regard to PI calves being retained in farms, my Department is concerned that, as the breeding season approaches, these PI animals pose a serious risk for the creation of further PI calves, both on the farms where they are being retained and on neighbouring farms.
In view of this and with a view to protecting clear herds, I intend to invoke Section 10 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which provides that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine may publish the fact that an animal is affected with a disease and the location of the holding where the infected animal is kept. In this regard, my Department will be writing to herdowners in the coming weeks informing them of the risks posed to them by the presence of PI animals on the farms of neighbouring farmers who retain PI animals for more than seven weeks of the initial BVD test. These notifications will allow neighbouring farms to review their biosecurity generally and to take measures to protect their herds, including ensuring that boundaries are adequate to prevent nose to nose contact and grazing management (particularly of breeding animals) to minimize the likelihood of contact.
Although there is no legal obligation to do so, I would encourage farmers who have not yet disposed of PI calves to do so immediately. Failure to dispose of PI calves in a timely manner will only prolong and add to the cost of the eradication programme and put at risk the investment already made by farmers, who have invested some €9m on testing each year, and by the State through its financial and other supports to the programme". My Department provides financial supports to farmers to encourage them to dispose of their persistently infected (PI) animals promptly. Details of these supports are available at: http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/diseasecontrol/bovineviraldiarrhoeabvd/.
