TB letters indicating a herd’s health status in regard to the disease should be “burned”, according to Independent TD for Roscommon and Galway Michael Fitzmaurice.
The letters are part of a new initiative to combat the increase in TB, but their introduction has been met with a mixed response from farmers.
We will see the effect of this in marts soon enough
“In my opinion, those pieces of paper should be burned in the fire. I am asking the incoming Minister to scrap what the academics have put together without listening to the farming organisations and farmers,” Fitzmaurice told the Dáil.
“We will see the effect of this in marts soon enough. The first thing the incoming Minister can do to show he is on the side of farmers is to initiate a consultation on the TB forum.”
Recall letters
He called on the new Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to recall the letters.
The levels of TB in cattle have continued to rise since 2016 and, as of 15 June, on a 12-month rolling basis, Department of Agriculture figures show that herd incidence stood at 3.97% and reactor numbers stood at 19,149.
As things stand, this is the highest incidence of TB since 2012 and the highest number of reactors since 2010.
The Department lays the blame at the door of the dairy herd, backing it up with figures which show that 52% of reactors in 2019 were in dairy herds, compared with 46% in 2015.
It said that the high number of cattle movements also contributes to the risk.
Read more
Farms and cattle to be graded for TB
TB risk letters draw farmer fury
TB letters indicating a herd’s health status in regard to the disease should be “burned”, according to Independent TD for Roscommon and Galway Michael Fitzmaurice.
The letters are part of a new initiative to combat the increase in TB, but their introduction has been met with a mixed response from farmers.
We will see the effect of this in marts soon enough
“In my opinion, those pieces of paper should be burned in the fire. I am asking the incoming Minister to scrap what the academics have put together without listening to the farming organisations and farmers,” Fitzmaurice told the Dáil.
“We will see the effect of this in marts soon enough. The first thing the incoming Minister can do to show he is on the side of farmers is to initiate a consultation on the TB forum.”
Recall letters
He called on the new Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to recall the letters.
The levels of TB in cattle have continued to rise since 2016 and, as of 15 June, on a 12-month rolling basis, Department of Agriculture figures show that herd incidence stood at 3.97% and reactor numbers stood at 19,149.
As things stand, this is the highest incidence of TB since 2012 and the highest number of reactors since 2010.
The Department lays the blame at the door of the dairy herd, backing it up with figures which show that 52% of reactors in 2019 were in dairy herds, compared with 46% in 2015.
It said that the high number of cattle movements also contributes to the risk.
Read more
Farms and cattle to be graded for TB
TB risk letters draw farmer fury
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