Vets will receive a 3% increase to the existing rates for bovine tuberculosis (TB) testing from January 1 2025, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
This follows discussions between the department and Veterinary Ireland in relation to the TB programme, with previous levels of fees in place since 2009.
In the event that a farmer needs a TB retest after their annual round of testing, this is paid for by DAFM. The increased funds only cover these reactor retests for veterinary practitioners.
The rates will also be further increased by 1.75% in 2026, and increased once again by the same amount in 2027.
A payment of €40 will be given per TB test carried out on behalf of the department to support and facilitate a professional consultation between a farmer and their private veterinary practitioner.
This is to focus on advising farmers on the steps appropriate and necessary at individual farm level to deal with a TB outbreak or to reduce the risk of a TB outbreak.
Chair of the Veterinary Ireland Medicines Working Group, Conor Geraghty said that the request for an increase was called for four years ago, and the decision has just been confirmed.
Geraghty said that while costs were increasing in other areas, the payment rate for testing had stayed the same, and that this rise is the same as “any pay rise or increase”.
He said that the payment “does not having anything to do” with the new national veterinary prescription system (NVPS), which will come into operation from January 13.
From this date, all veterinary prescriptions and dispensing will have to be recorded on the national database.
DAFM claims that the NVPS will provide the farming community with “a much greater choice on where they may obtain their veterinary medicinal products”. Geraghty said that the department has “refused” to give funding for the prescription system.