The TB Stakeholder Forum “could be undermined” if there is no movement to provide funding to cover the cost of additional TB testing under new rules coming into force in February.
That’s the view of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmer’s Association (ICSA), which, along with other farm organisations, is pushing for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to put measures in place to ensure farmers don’t have to pay for more than one test a year.
Under new TB testing rules, animals that are moving from farm to farm or through a mart must have been tested for TB in the last six months, or be tested within 30 days after the movement.
Hugh Farrell, the association’s animal health and welfare chairperson, said that this rule will not entail two tests per year for all farmers.
“It is a limited amount of testing for cattle such as breeding animals that are not being sold for finishing and which are more than six months from the test.
“[We are] insisting that this change be funded fully by the department. This is still the subject of major disagreement at the TB Forum. Unless there is movement on this by the [Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine], the whole TB Forum process could be undermined,” Farrell said.
He added that the ICSA “has made a fair package for farmers a condition of our continued participation in the forum talks”.
Apart from covering the costs of additional testing, the ICSA is also asking for an improved income supplement, depopulation grant, and hardship grant, along with removing the ceiling on compensation.
Farrell said that the farm organisation is prepared to accept that some increase in the levy paid on cattle slaughtered might be warranted, and that: “Recent reports that an increase in the TB levy is being discussed lack context”.
However, the ICSA animal health chairperson insisted the any increase in levies must be solely used for increased payments to farmers who have had outbreaks of TB.
“The position now is that in principle, a much-improved package for farmers with a bad outbreak on the table, as well as a significantly improved wildlife measures fund,” he said.
“We have always said that control of infected wildlife is critical to success in TB eradication. We are working towards the department paying more in this area,” Farrell added.
He said: “[We] work on the basis that farmers with a TB outbreak have suffered a devastating blow and the TB Eradication Programme going forward is only acceptable on the basis that more is done for people in this situation.”