As part of the Government TB eradication plan, the Department of Agriculture has commenced a badger vaccination programme, with 799 badgers vaccinated across eight counties last year.
Cross-contamination of TB from badgers to cattle is believed to be one of the main causes of TB in cattle herds, and the vaccination programme aims at reducing the badger culling programme.
“The intention is to have the full roll out of the vaccination programme completed by 2022, and by then to have the numbers of badgers being culled each year reduced to below 1000,” a spokesperson for the Department said.
“The seeding and recycling of bovine TB infections between cattle and badgers is why eradication of bovine TB has proven so difficult in the past, so we are now able to address this risk in a sustainable way.”
The spokesperson continued that with the addition of vaccinations in the TB programme they hope to have TB eradicated by 2030.
TB remains a major issue for Irish farmers, with the number of TB reactors surging by just over 20% since 2013, according to the most recent statistics from the Central Statistics Office.
The county breakdown of vaccinations is as follows:
Kilkenny – 156Tipperary – 157Longford – 114Galway – 84Monaghan – 80Louth – 71Waterford – 69Cork – 68Vaccinations are continuing in 2018 across the country, with Department and recruited Farm Service Relief staff carrying out vaccinations.
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Badger vaccinations to cost €4.3m
As part of the Government TB eradication plan, the Department of Agriculture has commenced a badger vaccination programme, with 799 badgers vaccinated across eight counties last year.
Cross-contamination of TB from badgers to cattle is believed to be one of the main causes of TB in cattle herds, and the vaccination programme aims at reducing the badger culling programme.
“The intention is to have the full roll out of the vaccination programme completed by 2022, and by then to have the numbers of badgers being culled each year reduced to below 1000,” a spokesperson for the Department said.
“The seeding and recycling of bovine TB infections between cattle and badgers is why eradication of bovine TB has proven so difficult in the past, so we are now able to address this risk in a sustainable way.”
The spokesperson continued that with the addition of vaccinations in the TB programme they hope to have TB eradicated by 2030.
TB remains a major issue for Irish farmers, with the number of TB reactors surging by just over 20% since 2013, according to the most recent statistics from the Central Statistics Office.
The county breakdown of vaccinations is as follows:
Kilkenny – 156Tipperary – 157Longford – 114Galway – 84Monaghan – 80Louth – 71Waterford – 69Cork – 68Vaccinations are continuing in 2018 across the country, with Department and recruited Farm Service Relief staff carrying out vaccinations.
Read more
Badger vaccinations to cost €4.3m
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