The DAERA proposals on a new bovine TB eradication strategy in NI involve a significant change in policy, but are not a quick fix, with the long term aim that NI achieves officially TB-free status by 2051.

The realities of what lies ahead are outlined in supporting documents to the DAERA consultation launched by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots last Friday.

The documents highlight that the short-term objective is to get herd incidence to between 3-4%, which would be a level similar to that seen in the Republic of Ireland in recent years.

At present in NI, herd incidence is currently just under 9%, and it could take up to 15 years to meet the interim target.

There is also a proposed cap of £5,000 on the value of reactors

To achieve that, the Department is proposing a number of measures including more controls around where breakdown herds can graze cattle and statutory improvement notices for farmers who ignore advice and continue to pose a risk to other herds.

There is also a proposed cap of £5,000 on the value of reactors, and cuts to the rate of payment, starting at 10% in year one, and increasing to 25% from year two onwards. Based on 2019/20 figures, those cuts would save DAERA £5m per year, out of a total annual cost of the TB programme to taxpayers of around £40m. The cuts are designed to incentivise herd owners to do more to protect their cattle from TB.

However, the most controversial aspect of the proposals remains around badger culling, with the Department favouring non-selective controlled shooting (as in England) in TB hotspot areas over a Test and Vaccinate or Remove (TVR) approach.

DAERA’s own consultation document highlights that TVR is an expensive alternative, with delivery over a seven-year period in a 1,200km2 area costing around £36.6m compared to £14m when controlled shooting is used. TVR is not used elsewhere.

Minister Poots dismissed TVR as a viable option

However, local wildlife groups have outlined their “strong opposition” to the DAERA plan. In a statement the chairman of the Ulster Wildlife Trust, Ken Brundle, said his organisation was “extremely shocked and disappointed that more ethical alternatives, such as TVR have not been proposed.”

But speaking last Friday Minister Poots dismissed TVR as a viable option, pointing out that it wouldn’t deal with the problem in a generation, and even if DAERA scoured the world looking for vets, they wouldn’t be able to find enough to deliver TVR.

The DAERA proposals involve culling for seven years, followed by a badger vaccination policy lasting eight years

The Minister also claimed that his proposed cull will represent a “win-win” as it will ultimately lead to a healthier cattle and wildlife population.

Despite the concerns of wildlife groups, the plans for a cull are likely to be strictly limited. The DAERA proposals involve culling for seven years, followed by a badger vaccination policy lasting eight years. The cull will also take place in “geographically defined areas” where there are high levels of TB in cattle herds, evidence of infection in badgers and physical disease barriers such as rivers or major roads.

An exercise undertaken by DAERA in 2017 identified only about 12% of the agricultural land area in NI was suitable for culling, which equates to around 1,200sq km or an area about half the size of Co Down.

While the badger population will fall during the cull phase, DAERA anticipate that the population will recover to original levels during the vaccination phase.

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