Latest figures published by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show the total expenditure on the TB programme soared to €79.4 million by the end of quarter three this year.

DAFM's latest National Bovine Tuberculosis Statistics also reveal a 21% increase in expenditure relating to the On Farm Market Valuation Scheme (OFMV) - the main compensation scheme available to farmers who experience a TB breakdown in their herd - by the end of Q3 this year.

Total OFMV costs increased to €40.8 million according to the department.

It has acknowledged previously that OFMV is the main contributor to the increase in TB programme expenditure over the last three years.

The latest figures from DAFM also show that the herd incidence rate by the end of Q3 2025 stood at 6.08% compared to 5.62% in September 2024.

Overall a total of 40,192 TB reactors were identified in the 12 months to the end of September 2025 while the number of herds restricted year on year increased to 6,084 during the same timeframe.

TB Action Plan

The jump in expenditure on TB to the end of Q3 comes just a week after the government signed off on an increased budget allocation of €85 million for TB in 2026.

According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, this will result in a total budget of €157 million. 

Minister Heydon said this "will allow the revamped TB programme to focus on tackling disease levels through the implementation of the measures laid out in the new TB Action Plan".

There are five key measures in the new plan - underpinned by 30 actions, which aim to:

Reduce the impact of known high-risk animals in spreading TB;
Support herds free of TB to remain free;
Reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of TB;
Detect and eliminate TB infection as early as possible in herds with a breakdown and avoid a future breakdown;
Help farmers improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity.

According to the minister the allocation in Budget 2026 will support and enable farm families who are currently dealing with the stress of a TB outbreak to navigate a way out of it and also protect herds in the future.