Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has stood over the Department of Agriculture’s decision to issue TB risk letters to all farmers.

In the Dáil, the minister said that the need for action on rising TB levels was the primary motivation for the Department’s statements.

Herd incidence has breached 4% for the first time since 2012 and reactor numbers have exceeded 20,000, the highest number since 2009.

McConalogue acknowledged the opposition among farm organisations to the letters. He committed to scheduling a TB Forum meeting as soon as possible but stopped short of setting a date.

ICSA animal health chair Hugh Farrell said the Department had lost the trust of farmers, while IFA animal health chair Pat Farrell questioned if the new risk categories were the first step towards restricting trade from high-risk herds.

Sinn Féin’s agriculture spokesperson Matt Carty said it was not an easy job to unite all farm organisations but the Department’s move had done just that.