Vets have pointed to wildlife control being among the biggest obstacles for Ireland’s bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication programme.
That is according to the findings of a new Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) study examining the views of private vets on the programme.
The study found that most vets did not believe that bTB can be eradicated by the deadline of 2030 with the current measures being implemented by the department.
One vet said the disease will not be eradicated unless a more sensitive test is used, while another stated that science has yet to prove eradication can be achieved.
Along with a need to tackle the disease in wildlife, especially badgers, the vets pointed to poor department communication on the programme and a need for further education for vets.
Eradication programme
Last year, €74.3 million was spent on the TB Eradication Programme, which was an increase of 29% on the previous year (€57.4 million).
28,868 TB test reactions were detected in cattle in 2023, up from 23,337 in 2022.
The herd incidence rate as of December 31 last was 4.89%, which is the highest herd incidence rate since before 2010.
There are approximately 1,078 private vets currently contracted by DAFM to carry out bTB testing in Ireland.
As part of this study 14 vets from across the country were interviewed between November and December 2022.
Some of the vets spent 5-10% of their working week bTB testing, while others could spend up to half their time testing.
The findings will influence how the department interacts with vets and farmers in the future when it comes to TB and the eradication programme.
Many participants felt the programme largely benefits Irish agricultural production, vets, farmers, animals and the public.
Wildlife
The study found that many of the vets perceived wildlife as the biggest issue for the spread of bTB, rather than transmission between cows.
Some felt badgers were more problematic than deer because there are more of them around, while others noted that deer tend to roam further.
“Badgers are our main reservoir. And until badgers are controlled, I don’t think TB will be
controlled,” another vet said.
One vet mentioned that many farmers need to stop feeding cattle off the ground or in low cattle feeders and need to clean out the troughs more often to prevent transmission from badgers
Some said the badger vaccination programme was showing “good promise”, but should be extended countrywide, while others did not believe the vaccine has any effect.
Culling badgers was seen as a temporary solution by some of the vets, however, they said that it is “no longer considered socially acceptable to do so”.
The wildlife control aspect of the eradication programme incurred a cost of €7.7 million in 2023, up 20% from the 2022 figure of €6.4 million.
Testing
Most vets were satisfied with the frequency of bTB testing and believe that annual test work well unless something unusual happens in an area, such as the development of a new road.
However, one vet said that the testing frequency was only sufficient for preventing large outbreaks, and not eradication of the disease.
Others felt additional testing should be carried out in areas with higher incidence rates.
The quality of testing was influenced by many factors, including the skills and attitude of the vet and their ability to withstand farmer pressure to interpret the test result favourably.
Vets pointed to some farmers bullying and intimidating vets when carrying out the test, especially new graduates.
The study noted that some farmers believe the programme is “a money maker for vets”.
“It’s fine when you have a lot of reactors, say 10, that’s fine. But what causes the problem is a small number, even one.
“They [farmers] tell you ‘if somebody else was here they would leave that go’. And that’s one part of the narrative and the other part of the narrative, then is ‘I think you’re being very strict’.
“You’ll hear that over and over. It’s an awful job going out TB testing from that point of view,” one vet said.
Participants in the study felt that vets could benefit from additional training and communication from DAFM on testing, disease levels across the country and the department’s strategy for tackling the issue.
Others said that a more sensitive blood test could be used so inconclusive reactors would no longer be an issue.
Vets
Some felt the name of the programme should be changed to reflect the “control and limitation” of the disease.
As part of the interviews, vets offered suggestions on how the department could improve the bTB eradication programme, including:
- Increase testing frequency in areas with persistent bTB problems
- Tackle wildlife;
- Provide funding to farmers so that many animals can be blood tested at once;
- Commit more intensely to the badger vaccination programme;
- Provide more information to farmers;
- Set realistic targets for eradication;
- Provide more training days to discuss eradication, which should be inclusive of both farmers and vets;
- Increase the level of communication from DAFM in the event of outbreaks
- Reduce the adversarial tone currently used by DAFM to communicate with farmers and PVPs;
- Change the name of the programme;
- Extend restriction periods.
The study also showed that most vets felt that the relationship between farmers and their vet is “generally very good”.
However, one vet said the relationship can be complicated at times, particularly when reactors are detected in a herd.
“If we are hiring vets, we say the hardest job you have to do is find reactors and tell the farmers then,” they said.
Some vets said that farmers get frustrated with their vet and blame them for “locking them up” in the event of a bTB outbreak.
In order to address this, they felt that testing needs to be standardised and that “a fundamental shift in the mindset of farmers is required”.
Vets believed that there is a “poor relationship” between farmers and DAFM, with some pointing to the “negative content and threating tone” of bTB letters being sent to farmers.
They also pointed to the heavy-handed nature of department inspections and a lack of support and empathy shown in the event of an outbreak.
Mixed views were expressed regarding the relationship between DAFM and the vets with tensions between the parties.
Some felt the department acted as if they were “above” the vets and were too strict and dismissive of them.
They said the situation could be improved if DAFM provided them with more timely information about protocol changes.