Northern Ireland’s Pedigree Cattle Trust (the Trust) has called for the introduction of an all-Ireland bovine tuberculosis (bTB)-eradication strategy.

This radical proposal is contained with the Trust’s response to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA’s) public consultation,  looking at ways of tackling the bTB problem.

A spokesperson for the Trust said:

“We have all had the unfortunate experience of the current Covid-19 epidemic.  Government response to that epidemic has accepted that individuals may have the infection but may exhibit no symptoms. 

“Government has also accepted, as part of its response to the Covid-19 epidemic, that there has to be a conclusive test for the disease. 

“It is, therefore, critical that the same approach should be adopted for the bTB epidemic. We need a conclusive test.”

Bovine tuberculosis – an all-island approach

The spokesperson added:

“It is accepted that, under present EU legislation, the skin test is required. However, now that the remainder of the United Kingdom has left the EU, the two jurisdictions that have the highest incidence of bTB are the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

“It is, therefore, inevitable that, at some stage in the foreseeable future, the EU is going to adopt a more radical approach to the epidemic in Ireland.

“It goes without saying that any policy on bTB will only succeed if it is part of a strategy covering the whole island of Ireland since so many small farms straddle both jurisdictions.” 

Where new bTB testing measures are concerned, the Trust points to a field trial taking place in the UK currently.

If successful, it may conclusively prove the evidence of the disease. 

The Trust spokesperson commented:

“It is beyond comprehension that the DAERA has not sought, as a matter of urgency, to replicate such a field trial in Northern Ireland. 

“There is no explanation from DAERA as to why they have not done this or, in fact, made any reference to such trial. 

“This must surely be a failure of the Department to seek the best scientific advice. When the Covid epidemic struck the United Kingdom, government immediately instituted measures to find a conclusive test procedure and to find a vaccine.”

He concluded: 

“The said government recognised that the best approach to an epidemic was to provide whatever resources were required to the scientific community to urgently develop both a vaccine and test [for bovine tuberculosis]. 

“The Prime Minister, in response to the Covid-19 crisis said there was a race between the virus and the vaccine. 

“DAERA seems unwilling to even start such a race.”