At a meeting on TB organised by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in Tuam, Co. Galway this week, farmers were informed about their entitlements should a TB reactor be detected in the herd.
Chair of the IFA Animal Health Committee, TJ Maher told farmers that if they are experiencing a TB restriction, they can purchase in animals to replace those lost from the herd while retaining their entitlement to live valuation and income supplement.
He said that movements in and out for contract rearing herds are also facilitated and the penalty points system on the live valuation scheme has been removed as part of changes that were made to the programme.
Maher also explained that there are increased rates for Income Supplement and Depopulation Grants.
TB restricted herd payments
The meeting heard that herds become eligible for Income Supplement support on the date reactors are identified with new rates and conditions applicable since February 1, 2023.
There is increased ceilings for pedigree females up to €5,000, compared to the previous limit of €3,000.
“You all know it takes an average of three weeks, give or take, to remove a [TB] reactor; that was three weeks you were losing income supplement on the old regime, now you’re getting it for those three weeks,” Maher said.
He said there has also been the removal of an income impediment for eligibility for the Hardship Grant with increased rates.
“That actually has had a significant impact,” Maher continued.
He said that farmers only qualify for income supplement if they lose 10% of the total herd or 10% of dairy cow numbers.
Dairy cow Old rate: €55/month New rate € First 5 months post-calving: €100 6-10 months post-calving: €65 2 months x €0 Suckler cow Current rate: €38.09/month New rate € First 7 months post-calving: €52 8-12 months post-calving: €40 Other categories Current rate: €25.39/month New rate: €30
Maher said that farmers often ask why the compensation rate is different for suckler and dairy cows and explained that it is based on Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures of three-year income averages on an ongoing basis.
In terms of the Hardship Grant rates for suckler cows, the old rate was €38 but this has since been increased to €50, while the rate for dairy cows or other animals has risen from €25 to €30.
The maximum payment under the Hardship Grant has increased from €250/month to €300/month for the four months of the scheme.
Maher said that about 1,300 farmers are owed backdated TB compensation payments and these farmers should receive letters in the coming weeks outlining that the payments will be made before the end of the year.
However he told farmers: “These delays are unacceptable.”
Testing
The meeting heard that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) allowed farmers for the years 2023 and 2024 to move their annual herd test by up to three months each of those years to align their test to within six months of normal sales times.
“You could move your herd test in 2023, by three months, or 2024 by three months, without any penalty if your argument was ‘I’m selling animals, I would like to make sure my animals are within the six-month test window’.
“Being allowed to move your herd test is a significant problem for some farmers if they need to have it done at the right time; we want that reintroduced again next year,” Maher added.