Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 September 2020
894. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for writing to farmers identifying animals in the herd that are at high risk of contracting tuberculosis and requesting their destruction. [23908/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Bovine TB Forum is due to reconvene shortly and my Department will continue to engage in this round table effort to eradicate Bovine TB. The Bovine TB Forum Interim Report (July 2019) identified the need for effective information to be provided to farmers. It advocated for the development of herd risk categories that are “simple, clear, and convey sufficient information to enable farmers to make the decisions appropriate to their situation”.
In line with this proposal from the Forum, my Department developed individualised reports that provide a simplified TB herd risk category for farmers, with herd-specific advice on how to reduce risk of TB. Farmers are already provided with information in relation to their TB risk, but this new report presents this in a very much more user friendly, detailed and practical form.
The TB herd history risk statement sets out to provide information to farmers about their own herds. It does not require farmers to do anything. It is advice which they can choose to take if they wish to reduce the risk of their herd to TB. DAFM bases its policy and advice on the science - there is a large body of independent robust scientific research on how TB infects cattle, which must continue to be the basis of disease policy and advice. It is by acknowledging the science of how TB spreads between cattle that will help us eradicate this disease.
While bTB disease is low relative to historical levels, TB herd incidence and reactor numbers have been gradually increasing since 2016. The pace of deterioration has accelerated in 2020. Herd incidence at 4.2% is now at its highest level since 2012 while reactor numbers at 21,000 are back at 2009 rates.
It is imperative that all stakeholders work together in reducing TB rates to support and protect farm families.
