The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has confirmed that political sign-off will be required to officially implement a new bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication strategy in Northern Ireland.
However, the UFU feels strongly that significant progress can be made over the coming months in preparing the way for this.
It has also highlighted that agreement will be needed on the establishment of a new company to carry out the envisaged badger cull.
In the meantime a model, very much centred on the approach now being taken in England, has been agreed for Northern Ireland.
This will likely include a mix of night-time shooting and trapping of badgers in ‘hot spot’ areas .
According to the UFU’s deputy president John McLenaghan, the envisaged timetable for the implementation of the new strategy had proposed that culling activities of badgers in agreed ‘hot spot’ areas would take place later this autumn.
However, he believes that preparation for this should begin now.
McLenaghan said: “Hot spot areas have yet to be identified.
“The contractors needed to carry out the culling operation have also to be appointed and trained.
“All of this work can take place without any political input whatsoever.”
But McLenaghan did emphasis that in order to make this happen a new company, who will be charged with the responsibility of carrying out the wildlife interventions, needs to be established.
“The new business will have to be adequately funded,” he stressed.
bTB eradication
It had been envisaged that voluntary levies on milk and slaughtered cattle – 0.02p/L and £1/head respectively– will be introduced to fund the new measure.
It is anticipated that these levies will be collected and managed by Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI).
Under current proposals the new culling strategy would allow for approximately 75% of the badgers within a ‘hot spot’ to be removed within a six-week period during the months of September and October.
It is then expected that badger populations would be maintained at this reduced level for a minimum period of four years, after which it is envisaged that a vaccination policy would then be introduced.
It is understood that badgers will only be shot by persons that have been specifically selected and trained.
UFU president, David Brown, has confirmed that the issue of the bTB levy is currently under discussion with Northern Ireland’s red meat and dairy processers.
There had been an initial suggestion that agreement on the levying mechanism would be in place this month (January 2023).
However all indicators suggest that this timeframe may no longer be achievable.
“Agreement on the levy-related mechanisms would confirm farmers’ commitment to the new bTB eradication process,” Brown said.