asked the Minister for Agriculture the progress made to date on the eradication of Bovine TB, the areas which have been cleared of this disease, the total cost of the scheme to date, the estimate of further cost and life of the scheme and if he will make a statement giving an assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme to date.
Written Answers. - Bovine TB.
276.
The campaign to eradicate bovine TB began here in 1954. The entire State is now deemed to be an attested or disease-free area. In the latest round of testing completed earlier this year over 96 per cent of the herds tested were free of TB and the number of animals found to be infected was 0.25 per cent.
The net Exchequer cost of the eradication measures, exclusive of administration costs, up to the end of September last, was £94 million. The programme for accelerating TB eradication which I introduced last year aims to reduce the herd incidence of the disease to 0.2 per cent within five years. The estimated cost, at 1978 prices, of achieving this during the years 1979 to 1983 is £40 million.
While the progress made in the past has been disappointing, I am confident that, provided there is complete co-operation on the part of all the interests concerned, the programme of intensified measures which I introduced in 1978 will succeed.
277.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if adherence to the EEC Accelerated Disease Eradication Programme was amongst the main reasons for the introduction of the 30-day test.
The decision to introduce the 30-day test was based primarily on expert veterinary advice. The EEC Commission also deemed the introduction of the test to be an essential step in order to achieve the targets envisaged in the Irish accelerated eradication programme.
278.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if Ireland has received aid under the EEC Accelerated Disease Eradication Programme and if so, the amount, the basis, on which payment was made and the length of time the programme has officially been in application in Ireland.
EEC payments under this heading are made on an annual basis. The amount received in 1979 was £1,012,528. That sum represents a fixed amount payable for each reactor slaughtered under the compulsory bovine TB and brucellosis eradication schemes between 18 September 1978, when the Irish accelerated eradication programme came into effect, and 31 December 1978.
Question No. 279 postponed.