Vol. 365 No. 14
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will make sufficient funds available this year to ensure that a full round of testing will be carried out in County Limerick in connection with the bovine TB eradication; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
121.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will ensure that sufficient finance will be made available for one complete round of testing on all the herds in County Limerick during 1986 so as to eliminate tuberculosis once and for all.
123.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware of the deep concern of the farming community in County Limerick at the current level of outbreaks of TB in cattle in parts of the county; if he will ensure that sufficient finances are made available for one complete round of testing of all herds in the county during 1986 so as to eliminate TB in cattle from this area once and for all; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
125.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware that the allocation of finance for TB testing of cattle in County Louth has been reduced from £160,000 in 1985 to £40,000 in 1986; whether this will have a serious effect on the TB eradication scheme in the county; if he is aware that, of the total herd of 2,500 cattle, three herds represent 1,300 cattle and with an average of four to five tests that this could cause a serious imbalance; if he will review the financial allocation for 1986; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 119, 121, 123 and 125 together. Any evaluation of the bovine TB eradication programme for 1986 must have regard to the exceptional level of testing carried out in the 1985-86 round just ended, the selective nature of the 1986 programme which will concentrate to a large extent on the areas at greatest risk and the full follow-up service which will be available from my Department in all cases of disease outbreak.
The level of testing carried out during the round just ended is well in excess of the equivalent of a full round and in Counties Louth and Limerick testing activity was intense. Unavoidable budgetary constraints have necessitated a more selective approach to testing during the remainder of this year and available resources have been allocated to counties on the basis of their respective disease situations. This approach is designed to make the optimum impact on disease having regard to the varying needs of the counties. The question of the resources which can be made available for the eradication programme is being kept under continuous review.
