Following news this morning (Thursday, November 5) that a draft strategy for tackling TB was recently shared with members of the TB Forum by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, one farm organisation has said that it will not accept the proposals until other key issues are resolved.
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has said that it will not agree to any proposals from the department until all outstanding issues around compensation and wildlife measures – including deer – are dealt with in a “satisfactory way”.
Hugh Farrell, the association’s animal health and welfare chairperson, said this morning that the ICSA agrees that there is a need for enhanced support for herds that have had a long and difficult TB experience.
“The ICSA will not even entertain this discussion unless it is guaranteed that any such proposals were limited to very specific cases of herds that have had severe and recurring TB outbreaks,” Farrell outlined.
He continued: “In addition, the ICSA will not engage unless the TB strategy is built on the principle that there will be full financial supports in place to ensure that no individual herd owner is carrying unfair cost.
There must be a satisfactory conclusion to the outstanding questions relating to compensation and a commitment to fully confront the role of wildlife. In particular, the ICSA wants to see an end to the half-hearted engagement with the deer problem.
The ICSA animal health and welfare chairperson also highlighted the need to ensure that independent valuers are “left to do their job”, and that compensation ceilings “are significantly amended in the case of breeding stock”.
“There is also outstanding issues around hardship grants, income supplements and depopulation, which must be resolved,” Farrell concluded.