The Irish Farmers' Association's (IFA) president, Francie Gorman has said that the bovine TB action plan, that was launched today (September 9) by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, contains "some positive aspects".

However, the IFA president said that some measures in the plan would be tough for farmers whose herds fail a TB test.

Gorman said that the support schemes in the TB programme will have to be reviewed, to ensure "fitness for purpose" before any additional controls or restrictions can be imposed on farmers.

He believes that this review must start by immediately removing the "outdated arbitrary ceilings" of €3,000 and €5,000, applied by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), to the On Farm Market Valuation Scheme.

The IFA president said: "I would acknowledge that the minister and the department took on board a lot of the concerns raised by the IFA and others. However, this document was not agreed with the IFA.

"These limits are unfair and with the welcome rise in the value of stock, more and more animals are exceeding the limits which leaves farmers out of pocket at what is a terrible time on their farm," Gorman added.

The IFA believes that the programme contains significant enhancements to the wildlife control programme, which it said is vital if TB levels are to be brought under control.

However, Gorman said there are also a number of measures in the action plan that will impact directly on farmers in the event of a TB outbreak.

In addition, the IFA believes that the minister’s decision to extend the restriction period for cows in herds of over 80 cows, where over 5% of animals in the group test positive for TB, will be very difficult for the farmers involved.

The IFA's animal health chair, TJ Maher believes that Minister Heydon will need the "good will" of farmers to advance the action plan.

He said: "Removing the outdated ceilings that have failed to keep pace with the value of animals in the marketplace in the Live Valuation scheme is the first step, and it must happen immediately.

"Commitments made in the wildlife programme require additional staff on the ground to implement them. The process of providing these must start immediately.

"We must have a meaningful engagement now from the minister and his officials to ensure the impact of the plans is kept to an absolute minimum on farms and any additional costs or distortion to the marketing of animals from farms is quantified and fully compensated for," Maher added.