Farmers have been urged to be vigilant and continuously “monitor wildlife activity” on their farms in 2024 as part of the ongoing battle against bovine tuberculosis (TB).
According to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Animal Health chair, TJ Maher, farmers have a crucial part to play in the battle to eradicate the disease in Ireland and a core element of that is to reduce the risk to their cattle from wildlife.
Maher said that it is now widely established that “infected wildlife” have been a significant factor in the increased levels of TB in Ireland in recent years.
The level of bovine TB has been rising in Ireland since 2018.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) confirmed to Agriland that by mid-December 2023 the rolling 12 month herd incidence was 4.85%.
“In the 12 month period December 18, 2022 to December 17, 2023 there have been 5,015 herds restricted and 28,131 reactors in this time period,” DAFM stated.
The current level of reactors is significantly higher year on year and have been heavily concentrated in dairy herds.
TB programme
According to Maher last year he spent a considerable amount of time talking to farmers all over the country who “experienced significant outbreaks of TB for the first time” and that caused huge stress and frustration for them.
The government introduced new measures and committed increased funding for the TB programme back in March which Maher said was very welcome.
But he said the reality is that there is still a significant vacuum when it comes to what is happening and what needs to be done on the ground in the battle against TB.
“The financial agreements and new measures that we reached with government were very important and have helped to reduce the burden and costs associated with TB breakdowns on farms.
“The measures freed up farmers to purchase in animals when restricted and retain the live valuation entitlement for the purchased in animals and get an income supplement for the herd and at least this let farmers continue their business and maintain an income because when TB visits an area it doesn’t leave very quickly,” he said.
But according to Maher the programme still is not perfect because the income supplement element of the programme only kicks in according to DAFM when the breakdown results in the removal of 10% of the herd as reactors.
“A huge number of farmers -probably the majority of farmers who have TB are under the 10% cut off for income supplement so they have a double whammy of losing stock, managing all the restrictions plus increased testing and they don’t qualify for the income supplement and the impact of that is often underestimated.
“I feel that there are those within the broader, administrative circle of government who may understand the financial impact of TB on farmers but don’t really understand and often completely miss the mental stress and strain that TB puts on families.
“There’s no doubt there was better detection of TB in 2023 but there have also been herds that have consistently failed to come clear, there needs to be a closer look at that and we’ll also need to have a strong, new approach around the whole management of disease in herds,” he added.
One key factor that Maher believes the government must urgently address at the start of this new year is that there must be “more boots on the ground around the operation of the badger control program and the wildlife programme”.
The IFA Animal Health chair said that while the wildlife control programme has definitely made progress in recent years it is “frustrating” for farmers to know that there are outstanding staffing issues and he said “about 14 vacancies” that urgently need to be filled.
“We are playing catch up and until we get the full management and operation of that program to its maximum level then we’re not going in the right direction – we need the people on the ground to make that happen.
“I would be confident that if we can get the right personnel on the ground and we are much more proactive and farmers play their part to understand and monitor the badger and wildlife activity on their farms then we can make progress.
“But that doesn’t mean there won’t be an awful lot of farmers this year who are going to suffer the absolute nightmare of a restriction on their herds because of TB and the huge financial stress that brings,” Maher warned.