The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has claimed that “bureaucratic barriers” are preventing farmers with TB-restricted herds from buying in cattle.
As well as that, the association is also opposing pre or post movement testing being imposed on farmers unless the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine commits to paying for them.
Hugh Farrell, the ICSA animal health and welfare chairperson, said this evening (Wednesday, January 12): “[We are] opposing the imposition of pre or post movement testing in relation to TB-restricted farmers buying in cattle for further feeding until we have certainty that the department will pay for these tests.”
He noted that farmers who “did not have feedlot status” in the past were prevented from buying in cattle while restricted until such a time as they have a clear test.
“With a lot of pressure, a recent change to rules has allowed TB-restricted farmers to buy in cattle. Unfortunately this has been complicated by the addition of extra paperwork and possible additional testing requirements in respect of animals being moved in,” Farrell argued.
On testing, he said: “ICSA believes that no farmer should sign up to a pre or post movement test until the department agrees to pay for it.
Farrell continued: “We are also concerned about all sorts of additional bureaucratic requirements that are making life difficult for farmers who want to buy in stock for finishing.
“For example, farmers are being asked to provide complicated documentation of where badger sets are located along with detailed maps.”
“ICSA stands by the principle that a farmer should only be required to pay for one annual test per annum,” he stressed.
The ICSA animal health chair went on to say: “This issue of preventing people buying in cattle has long been a contentious issue… A farmer who depends on buying in cattle at exactly the right time – depending on availability of grass or fodder; price considerations; length of keep, etc – is hugely disadvantaged if they cannot.
“We have made some progress to get this accepted in principle, but the problem is that we see the department coming up with bureaucratic barriers to prevent it happening in practice,” he added.
“No one should be entitled to deprive anyone from earning a living.”
Farrell also claimed that the TB Forum was “making very slow progress” in relation to this and other TB-related issues.
He said that he put it to department officials at this week’s meeting of the forum’s Implementation Committee that it should pay for pre or post movement tests.
Farrell also stressed the apparent slow process of the forum’s Finance Committee.
“We haven’t had a TB Finance Committee meeting in months due to operational issues. ICSA understands that these are now resolved, and we will fight very hard that new measures cannot be agreed until outstanding financial issues are resolved in tandem,” he concluded.