The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that any additional bovine tuberculosis (TB) compensation due to farmers “will be backdated and issued in due course”.
The DAFM statement comes as a number of farmers have recently contacted Agriland with concerns regarding the level of compensation paid to them following an outbreak of TB in their herds.
In February of this year, the TB Stakeholders Forum agreed to increase the bovine TB compensation rates paid to farmers whose herds go down with TB, with effect from February 1, of this year (2023).
The DAFM statement said: “The TB Forum concluded agreement on proposed changes to compensation criteria proposed by the Financial Working Group of the forum including changes to Income Supplement, Hardship Grant and Depopulation Grant rates and a transitional Animal Health Law support with effect from February 1.
“The changes to these schemes require significant changes to the Department’s IT systems which have been ongoing in recent months.
“It is hoped that these changes will be finalised soon. In the meantime, the existing rates are still paid. Any additional compensation due to farmers as a result of these changes will be backdated and issued in due course.”
The DAFM statement added that the changes came as part of the work of the TB Forum and “a dedicated Financial Working Group comprising representatives from the department and the farming organisations” which was set up “to review the financial model of the TB programme under the chairmanship of Mr. Gerry Kiely”.
New TB compensation rates
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the new rates of compensation are as follows:
- Income supplement monthly rates:
- Dairy (current rate €55) – new rate of €100 for first five months after calving and €65 for six to 10 months after calving;
- Suckler (current rate €38.09) – new rate of €52 for first seven months after calving and €40 for eight to 12 months after calving;
- Other (current rate €25.39) – new rate of €30.
- Depopulation grant:
- Dairy (current rate €220) – new rate of €280;
- Suckler (current rate €152.36) – new rate of €180;
- Other (current rate €76.16) – new rate of €120.
- Hardship grant monthly rates:
- Suckler (current rate €38) – new rate €50;
- Dairy/other (current rate €25) – new rate €30.
Farmers who wish to read more about the TB compensation increase and additional test payment can click here.