The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been urged to boost compensation for bovine tuberculosis (TB) reactors, lifting payment caps by €2,000.

Minister Martin Heydon was asked by Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill to “urgently” increase the compensation for TB reactors from €3,000 to €5,000 and from €5,000 to €7,000 for pedigree animals

In response Minister Heydon said: “Bovine TB is an ongoing challenge for Irish farmers. I am acutely aware of the emotional and financial impacts of bovine TB on farmers, their families and rural Ireland.

According to the minister, this plan will support and enable farm families who are currently dealing with the stress of a TB outbreak to navigate a way out of a TB restriction and protect those herds currently free from TB from an outbreak.

Minister Heydon added: “The objective of the new measures in the Bovine TB Action Plan is to reduce the number of farms affected by bTB and decrease costs for all stakeholders."

He also detailed that his department provides a range of financial supports that focus on compensating farmers for both direct and indirect losses incurred as a result of a TB breakdown on the farm.

Support

The minister said: “The primary support scheme is the On Farm Market Valuation scheme where animals removed as reactors receive compensation subject to scheme ceilings equivalent to their market value in the event they were not disclosed as TB reactors."

Minister Heydon said that his department also operates three supplementary schemes that assist farmers with the indirect losses incurred as a result of a TB breakdown on their farm, including the Income Supplement Scheme, Depopulation Grant Scheme and the Hardship Grant scheme.

While the minister said that market prices of animals continue to be monitored, he added that “the focus at present is on reducing the levels of disease which will reduce the impact of bTB on Irish farm families and reduce the cost of the programme which has risen to over €121 million in 2025”.

Herd incidence

Deputy Cahill also asked the minister about the number of cattle diagnosed with signs of TB for each year from 2015 to the end of May 2026.

Minister Heydon replied that herd incidence had increased over that period, there was "encouraging progress" in recent months in reducing TB levels with a 1% drop year-on-year.

He explained: “As at May 31, 2026, over a 12-month period, the herd incidence was 5.34%, down from 6.38% and the number of herds restricted was 5,336 down over 17% from 6,448.

However, over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in TB levels nationally, with 37,834 reactors in 2025 compared with 15,317 in 2015.

The table below provides the number of reactors for each year from 2015 to 2025 and from January 1 to May 31, 2026.

The minister said he had launched the Bovine TB Action Plan in September 2025 to address these "high disease numbers".

"It includes five measures and 30 actions underpinned by scientific research, evidence, and veterinary expertise. 

"The aim of the Action Plan is to reset the TB programme by putting in place measures necessary to tackle the current disease situation," Minister Heydon said.