Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 December 2023
464. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent of the research currently in hand or to be undertaken in respect of the cause(s) of the spread of bovine TB; whether adequate measures and scientific research continue to be taken to ensure the safety of the national bovine herd; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56241/23]
View answerBovine Tuberculosis (bTB) is a highly infectious disease of cattle caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). As part of the national TB Eradication Programme, there are numerous studies and research projects into the causes of TB in livestock. This work is undertaken to provide scientific information to inform policy decision-making.
All TB scientific research assignments undertaken as part of the TB Eradication Programme are carefully defined and driven by a specific TB-related research question.
My Department commissions various bodies to carry out TB research projects. The main body that is commissioned by my Department is University College Dublin's Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis (UCD CVERA) which conducts research for the control and eradication of regulatory animal diseases, which includes the national TB Eradication Programme.
