Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 3

Written Answers. - Bovine Diseases.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

65 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the plans, if any, he has to halt the snaring and culling of over 25,000 badgers in view of the fact that no badger control was introduced in 1965 when the then Minister was able to declare the bovine tuberculosis eradication scheme initiated in 1954 a success as Ireland was legally bovine tuberculosis free. [18676/99]

80. D'fhiafraighMr. Sargent den Aire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Forbartha Tuaithe cén dearcadh atá aige ar thuairiscí le déanaí a léiríonn nach raibh eitinn bhólachta ach ag níos lú ná 20 faoin gcéad de na broic a maraíodh mar chuid den scéim chun eitinn bhólachta a scriosadh; agus, dá thoradh sin, an éireoidh sé as gach broc a mharú agus ina ionad sin iad a ghabháil i gcásanna agus scaoileadh leo arís má bhíonn siad glan ó eitinn bhólachta, go mór mór nuair nach bhfuil ceangail eitinne bólachta cruthaithe idir broic agus ba go fóill. [20668/99]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 80 together.

Following the introduction of the TB eradication scheme, the incidence of bovine tuberculosis was reduced significantly by the mid-1960s However, persistent difficulties have been encountered in achieving further sustained reductions below the levels reached at that time. At the same time some 99.5 per cent of cattle are free of TB and the regime in place facilitates the continued trading of livestock and livestock products to the EU and third countries.

There is general acceptance of the role of the badger in the spread of bovine tuberculosis and a growing body of scientific evidence supports this opinion. In particular, the use of strain typing techniques has identified the same strain of mycobacterium bovis in cattle and badgers in the same locality.

The only valid test currently available for tuberculosis in badgers is a full and extensive post-mortem. To fully research the role of badgers in the spread of bovine TB, my Department, under licences approved by the wildlife service of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, removes a small percentage of the badger population each year. These licences are operated in project areas and at individual farm level in order to research specific outbreaks of disease.

Of the badgers removed from the special project areas, in parts of Donegal, Kilkenny, Cork North and Monaghan, which were initiated in 1997, 24 per cent of those removed in 1998 had confirmed tuberculosis. One of the purposes of this removal is to establish the actual level of infection in a representative sample of the badger population. The removal exercises involved in gathering this data are now largely completed in the project areas.