The wildlife control and research programme under the TB Eradication Programme is “continuing to fail farmers”, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has said.
According to the association, the wildlife programme is “underwhelming”, and that the department should reconsider prioritising badger vaccination over culling, claiming that the vaccination has coincided with increasing TB numbers.
ICSA animal health and welfare chairperson Hugh Farrell cited recent research, published in the journal Nature, that found that badger control policy (BCP) areas in England – where badger populations are reduced through culling – was linked to a 56% reduction in TB herd incidence in cattle after four years of the BCP in those areas.
According to Farrell, farm organisations “must seriously question the scientific advice” they are receiving at the TB Stakeholder Forum, where, according to the ICSA representative, badger vaccination “is heavily prioritised over culling – despite reactor numbers here going up, not down”.
“It is patently clear from this study that culling badgers is vital when it comes to reducing the levels of bovine TB. It is also patently clear that while the department here has reduced culling in favour of vaccination, our TB numbers have gone up,” Farrell said.
He added: “It is also worth noting that, with the badger vaccination programme, there is no way of knowing if the badgers being vaccinated are infected with TB as they do not test badgers in advance of vaccination.”
Recent figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that virtually all key figures under the TB Eradication Programme saw increases in 2023, with the number of reactors and herd restrictions seeing notable increases on 2022.
The amount of money spent by the state on the eradication programme also increased – by about €17 million – in the same period, while the herd incidence rate also went up, reaching almost 5% by the close of 2023.
The ICSA animal health chairperson also criticised what he claimed was a “determination to avoid” further research into deer as a factor in TB spread.
“It’s astonishing that they accept deer are a problem in Wicklow, but assume that lack of research and data in the rest of country regarding deer is proof that no link exists. It’s just not good enough to avert your gaze from the lack of effort in researching deer beyond Wicklow,” Farrell said.
Farrell also went on to question whether the additional post-movement testing of cattle is warranted, given the seemingly low numbers of positive test results.
“We were presented with evidence in relation to the additional testing that has been imposed on farmers through post-movement testing. Figures indicate that, of the more than 50,000 cattle that were post-movement tested, there were 101 reactors and 19 were inconclusive.
“That is a percentage of around 0.2% positive among the cohort of cattle that the department would deem most at risk. The ICSA would question whether this additional testing, and the cost associated, is warranted, given that numbers being identified in this way are so low.”
“The fact is the science is letting us down when it comes to TB. The skin test is only 70% to 80% accurate. Reactors are not routinely examined post-mortem to confirm the presence of TB… We need to focus on strategies that are proven to yield tangible results,” Farrell said.