The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine will resume discussions on the eradication of bovine TB with stakeholders at 5.30p.m in Leinster House today (Wednesday, November 16).
Speaking ahead of the meeting, committee Cathaoirleach, Deputy Jackie Cahill said Ireland faces the prospect of decreasing funding from the EU towards the scheme if the number of cases continues to rise.
Deputy Cahill said: “From a historic low instance of bovine TB cases in 2016, Ireland has seen the number of cases increase annually since, to the point that we had the highest number of cases in the EU in 2020.
“At the same time the cost of the eradication programme to both the state and the farm sector is increasing, and [the programme] is projected to cost a total of €1 billion up to 2030 if progress is not made with the eradication of bovine TB.”
Representatives of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA); the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA); the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA); the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA); and Macra na Feirme will attend the meeting.
TB eradication
The main source of spread of infection can be attributed to wildlife, and while other countries have managed to control the disease, as there are no natural predators of deer in Ireland, the population of wild deer continues to grow, according to the INHFA.
In a statement provided to the committee, the association suggests that instead of farmers fencing deer out of their lands, the deer should be fenced into specific areas where they can be managed.
“This would need the implementation of a proper deer management programme to be overseen and run by trained and experienced gamekeepers,” according to the INHFA.
The TB eradication programme remains the single largest animal health cost for Irish farmers each year at combined direct and indirect cost of over €55 million annually, according to IFA animal health chair, TJ Maher.
“In addition, despite 4% of herds breaking down with the disease annually, the fear of a TB outbreak continues to be identified by farmers as one of the largest annual stress factors associated with farming.
“Irish farmers [also] contribute over €27 million in annual TB testing costs, approximately €8 million in disease levies and conservatively €20 million in labour when facilitating the testing of over 9 million animal tests a year,” Maher said.
He added that for the €55 million investment farmers receive just over €20 million in compensation for animal and production loss and maintenance costs associated with the TB programme.
The need to address the role deer play in spreading bovine TB to cattle by putting in place a deer control strategy has also been raised by the ICMSA.
The association also supports the continuing wildlife programme to vaccinate badgers to prevent them from getting infected with bovine TB, and removing badgers where necessary, and to identify and map setts.