Six months on from the introduction of the new bovine TB measures, Agriland caught up with Maurice Brosnan, Gortatlea Mart manager, to get his views on the changes.

Dealing with over 500 cows every week, Gortatlea Mart, Co. Kerry, has been more than exposed to the new TB control measures surrounding movements through marts.

Under the movement guidelines set out by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM), cattle being sold in marts will be grouped based on the seller's TB status.

There are three animal groups under these rules:

Category 1 (OPEN) - anyone can buy;
Category 2 (DRY) - can be bought by non-milk supplying herds, non-breeding herds, and Controlled Finishing Units (CFU);
Category 3 (CFU) - only DAFM-approved CFU herds can buy.

For cattle to be sold as OPEN, animals under 36 months-of-age must be within a 12-month herd test, while animals over 36 months-of-age require a 30-day pre-movement test, or for both the animal and the herd to be within a six-month herd test.

Brosnan said that confusion surrounding the changes is an issue, explaining how he is "quite disappointed" with the measures overall.

"There is no week where someone buys a cow they can't take into their herd, putting strain on the the buyer, the seller, and the mart," he said.

Of the cows sold at Gortatlea Mart, 20-30% of these are CFU cows, according to Brosnan.

"Only half of the buyers can buy the category three cow," Brosnan said.

Young cows purchased with the aim of further milking are taking the biggest hit, with €200-500 less on CFU cows compared to their category 1 counterparts, the mart manager said.

Solutions

Brosnan has accepted that TB is a major issue, but said that these measures were of "no benefit to stop the spread of TB".

Brosnan said that "extending the 30-day test to 60 days would be a huge help" to farmers trying to rid cattle when they are locked up.

In relation to TB restricted sales held by a number of marts, Brosnan explained that they can "give away cattle" in times of sluggish trade, which is a "recipe for disaster".

Instead of the restricted sales, Brosnan helps farmers locked up with TB to find suitable buyers through farm-to-farm movements, something he said works well.

The mart manager strongly advised farmers to get the 30-day test done on their animals prior to bringing stock to the mart, with the "farmer losing out" otherwise.