Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021
774. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of controlled finishing units by county or smallest available geographic unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48116/21]
View answerAs part of the TB eradication programme, beef finishing herds who are experiencing a TB restriction, and if they meet the necessary criteria, are allowed to avail of a special status, termed “Controlled Finishing Unit (CFU)”. Where a herd meets the criteria to be regarded as a CFU under the programme, a special official supervisory and testing protocol is established. Such herds are not exempted from testing, reactor removal or disinfection requirements.
Restricted CFUs are TB tested at least once a year. This CFU status arrangement allows the delivery of an effective level of disease risk management while controlling the risk of further disease spread, in compliance with animal health legislation, and enabling business continuity in this particular type of enterprise through the inward movement of cattle. Cattle from CFU herds restricted under the TB Eradication programme are only permitted to move to an EU-approved slaughter plant.
My Department does not differentiate CFU herds on the basis of ownership.
The number of CFUs nationally for 2021 to date is 356. Due to the small number of CFUs in some counties, DAFM cannot provide a county-level breakdown for GDPR reasons.
