An “emergency meeting” will take place in Macroom, Co. Cork, next Thursday, January 10, following what is being described as several serious and high-profile TB incidents in the county.
West Cork Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), in conjunction with North and East Cork ICMSA, have arranged the meeting to take place in the Castle Hotel, Macroom. It will begin at 7:30pm sharp.
The meeting will be addressed by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials, Colm Forde and Eoin Ryan.
The meeting will be jointly chaired by Maurice Walsh, Mitchelstown, chair of North and East Cork ICMSA and Tom Wilson, Enniskeane, chair of West Cork ICMSA.
Speaking to AgriLand, Walsh explained that the meeting is being organised at such short notice in response to the widespread anxiety felt among farmers throughout the county as the recent outbreaks show no signs of abating.
He encouraged all farmers in the area to go to the meeting to ask questions and get them answered.
We really don’t know why these cases are happening, farmers are tearing their hair out.
“Nobody knows what is happening and why is it happening and we want to know what’s the Government doing about it?”
Continuing, Walsh acknowledged how some farmers have expressed concern that the deer population could be attributing to TB incidents.
ICMSA president, Pat McCormack, outlined that he has called for modifications to testing protocols, compensation arrangements and wildlife management.
He also believes the lack of clarity in attributing outbreaks to surging deer numbers are all areas that must be addressed as part of the 2030 Eradication Programme.