In the past year, on a 12 month rolling basis, 5,695 herds were subject to restriction due to bovine tuberculosis (TB), compared to 4,885 in the previous 12-month period.

As of September 22 this year, the national herd incidence rate is 5.6% compared to 4.74% at the same time in 2023.

Both regions of Co. Wicklow saw by far the highest herd incidence rates nationally, with 12.02% in the east of the county and 16.81% in the west of the county.

The below table outlines the number of TB reactors and herd incidence rate in 2024 for Leinster counties:

Counties	Herds restricted	Herd incidence	Number of reactors
Carlow	48	4.20%	152
Dublin	25	8.04%	146
Kildare	107	6.67%	534
Kilkenny	221	8.13%	1,757
Laois	183	7.28%	1,463
Longford	147	6.68%	722
Louth	89	8%	389
Meath	328	9.27%	2,019
Offaly	180	6.55%	702
Westmeath	180	6.55%	792
Wexford	174	6.50%	980
Wicklow East	106	12.02%	798
Wicklow West	77	16.81%	998

Source: DAFM

The regions with the highest herd incidence rates in Munster include Co. Cork, with the north of the county having an incidence rate of 8.28% and the south of the county at 8.5%.

This table highlights the number of TB reactors and herd incidence rate for Munster counties:

Counties	Herds restricted	Herd incidence	Number of reactors
Clare	219	3.90%	1,210
Cork North	423	8.28%	3,431
Cork South	462	8.58%	3,970
Kerry	294	4.97%	2,453
Limerick	236	4.89%	1,878
Tipperary North	279	9.05%	3,464
Tipperary South	203	6.60%	1,591
Waterford	104	5.40%	952

Source: DAFM

The incidence rates for Connacht were lower compared to other regions, however in most cases county percentages were higher compared to the previous year.

The incidence rates per county for Connacht are as follows:

Counties	Herds restricted	Herd incidence	Number of reactors
Galway	311	3.12%	1,671
Leitrim	87	3.24%	367
Mayo	193	2.40%	830
Roscommon	174	3.52%	562
Sligo	121	3.85%	390

Source: DAFM

Finally, the below table shows the data for Ulster:

Counties	Herds restricted	Herd incidence	Number of reactors
Cavan	268	5.94%	1,607
Donegal	180	3.80%	421
Monaghan	276	6.91%	1,436

Source: DAFM

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said he is “committed to making real progress” in eradicating TB.

The TB programme in each county focuses on factors including wildlife, how disease is spread in the area, contiguous testing programmes, gamma interferon testing, cleansing and disinfection, testing compliance and swift isolation and removal of reactors.

Emphasis is placed on the biosecurity measures a farmer can take to reduce risks on their farm, and when buying in animals.

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TB: 5,695 herds restricted over the last 12 months