Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 29 Jun 1995

Vol. 455 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Bovine TB Eradication Scheme.

Mr. Cowen

I raise this issue because of the serious deterioration of the TB eradication scheme given its vital importance in ensuring the maintenance of the disease-free status of our national herd. My concern is to get the scheme back on the road but the approach adopted by the Minister and his Department will ensure that will not happen. Unnecessary confrontation has been provoked.

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Deputy Deenihan, who had been involved in these discussions since late 1993, had been endeavouring to deal with these issues competently when, unfortunately, he was shunted sideways by the Minister who has treated him very unfairly. Indeed, the Minister's threats when the ballot took place led to an unnecessary hardening of attitudes.

The Department appears to be hung up on a proposal that £4 million available from the European Commission is dependent on adequate rotational testing this year, whereas the Commission is seeking to have one-third of the tests rotated in order that the £4 million can be drawn down. Already one-third of the tests has been undertaken; therefore, in order for the proposal to be practical this year, half of the remaining tests will have to be implemented under the new system. That is impractical and will not happen. The Department should look beyond this issue to resolve this matter.

The saddening factor from the point of view of the public and the farming community is that the principle of rotation is not a problem between the Irish Veterinary Union, the Department and farming organisations. There is a large number of issues to be addressed here if we are to get to the bottom of this problem. Quite clearly, the comparative tuberculin test used since the mid-1950s was the proper one which was successful in reducing the incidence of the disease from one-third of the national herd in the 1950s to its present low level. However, we have failed to make improvements in the level of the incidence since then. A different, more comprehensive approach must be adopted for which the scientific evidence is available from the TB Investigation Unit of UCD — a subsection of the Veterinary College who have said:

On the basis of scientific evidence currently available and the progress of the national eradication programme in the Republic to date, it would appear that bovine-to-bovine transmission of the M-bovis virus is no longer the primary source of new outbreaks here. Effective means of addressing the other factors involved in the transmission of tuberculosis will be required to achieve the final eradication of the disease in the Republic.

When the Department talks about the possible loss of £4 million drawdown this year, it should be remembered that of the scheme funding 30 per cent goes to compensation for reactors, another approximate 30 per cent on veterinary fees and 30 per cent on its administration. Therefore, almost £20 million, or five times the amount being disputed represents the administrative cost of the scheme, an outrageous reflection on the efficiency of the Department in terms of its management. In other words, bad management is at the heart of this matter.

Neither can we maintain the status quo— which I certainly would not advocate. It is incumbent on the Minister and his Department, in the interests of protecting the disease-free status of our national herd, ensuring that the bottom will not fall out of cattle prices as it did in the case of sheep prices over recent months, to abolish what I can only describe as this Jono Lomu-type approach, this unnecessary belligerence and address not merely the rotation but all the other issues involved on a tripartite basis between the vets, farming organisations and departmental officials as a matter of urgency. In that way a comprehensive review of the programme could be undertaken, to deal with all of the issues of concern to farmers, who pay the levies, to officials who manage the scheme and the vets at the front line of its implementation.

This is a matter of vital national interest. It is wrong to put the image of our country and agricultural industry at risk because of a threatening approach by the Minister in endeavouring to resolve the problem. We must address all the issues and ensure that we achieve a negotiated settlement to resolve them not merely the matter of fees or rotation, but also those of animal welfare. We must ascertain to what extent wildlife is responsible for the spread of the disease, and to what extent we can deal with tamper-proof identification of cattle, all of which must be addressed simultaneously so that farmers and the taxpayers begin to get value for money.

While the scheme operated has served us well in reducing the incidence of the disease to its present level — just 3.5 per thousand cattle — it is crucial that we sit down and work out a tripartite solution. The social partnership has worked vis-à-vis our economic affairs, and it can in this departmental matter. I am satisfied that, with any modicum of negotiating skill, the Minister will solve this problem without placing the disease-free status of our cattle herd in jeopardy. It is unfortunate this has been the third successive term of office of a Fine Gael Minister during which a veterinary strike has been in the offing.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Deenihan)

I endeavoured to put in place exactly what Deputy Cowen seeks today. I endeavoured to be conciliatory to the Irish Veterinary Union and negotiate with them on a professional basis and to maintain our discussions within the negotiating room. Unfortunately they decided to engage in a different course of action. My ultimate proposal was that they adopt a minimalist approach, one which should have been acceptable to the veterinary profession nationwide, which I had discussed with a number of veterinary officers who seemed to agree with it. They accepted that some changes were necessary to draw down the funding offered to us which we did not want to lose. Unfortunately the veterinary profession rejected my offer, in addition to my offer to sit at the table with them to discuss a large number of related issues just as important as rotation, which confirmed my willingness to include farmers and all other interested bodies in those discussions.

Unfortunately, the Irish Veterinary Union became totally hung-up on the overall issue of rotation to which, incidentally, they had agreed in July 1994 and on which they had more or less shaken hands with departmental officials. For whatever reason, they changed their thinking and decision leaving us with a set of circumstances the Minister and I would prefer did not obtain.

The Deputy will be aware that the background to this issue relates to efforts by my Department to introduce revised testing arrangements as required under the terms of the programme approved for EU funding. The IVU recently rejected proposals on revised testing arrangements and increased fees. In the light of that rejection the Minister Deputy Yates has no alternative but to proceed with measures which involve the degree of rotation required to meet the terms of the approved programme. Arrangements are being finalised for the issue of the next phase of the 1995 round on an area basis and every effort will be made by my Department to ensure that this testing is undertaken. I am determined to protect the health status of the national herd and all my efforts are directed to that objective. I do not believe the health status of the herd will be jeopardised by the current actions.

The Irish Veterinary Union have indicated to me and the Minister that it is not their intention to withdraw from testing. The farm organisations as representatives of the owners of the national herd have made it clear they are fully committed to effecting new approaches to secure a more effective eradication programme and to meet the requirements relating to the drawdown of EU funding. The primary requirements is that the testing of one-third of herds nationally will be rotated over the next three years. This requirement is minimal in that one test only in the period will be carried out by veterinary practice other than the practice which normally tests the herd. The arrangements will be fully under the control of the district veterinary office.

The 1995 round of TB testing is well advanced — and indeed the Brucellosis testing regime is ahead of schedule. In consequence the House, the Deputy and our trading customers can have confidence that the health status of the national herd is fully protected. In global terms, the TB incidence level is small — less then 1 per cent of the 7 million animals in the national herd have infection. This indicates that over 99 per cent of animals are clear of the disease.

As Deputy Cowen said, when this scheme began in 1954 one-third of the national herd was infected whereas now less than 1 per cent is infected so it will be clearly seen we have achieved much over the years. Indeed, we should recognise the trojan work of a large number of veterinary officers nationwide.

Nonetheless, progress toward final eradication is proving difficult and costly, requiring new, innovative approaches to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the programme. While research may inject new technology into the programme, ultimately its degree of success will depend on the combined efforts of all concerned in the implementation of the eradication programme. In that respect, I fully recognise and acknowledge the input of the veterinary profession into our generally high animal health status level which continues to be a major selling point for exports and our customers generally.

I appeal to all parties involved to cooperate with arrangements for testing the remainder of the herd in 1995.

The Dáil adjourned at 4.20 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 4 July 1995.