The number of TB reactors flagging up during herd tests has dropped by 20% in the 12 months up to 28 June when compared with the equivalent timeframe a year previous.
This is an indication that the explosion in bovine TB witnessed over the last decade may have turned a corner.
There were 34,886 reactors removed in the year up to the end of June 2026, down from the 43,290 one year prior.
Herd incidence – the herds going down with TB over a given 12-month period that had previously been TB-clear as a proportion of all herds tested – has also dropped to 5.32% at the end of June, a level not witnessed since mid-2024.
The number of herds operating under TB movement restrictions fell from just under 6,450 at the half point of 2025 to 5,300 at the equivalent stage of this year. Herd restrictions over the past 12 months have mainly been concentrated in Monaghan, northwest Co Meath, southeast Cavan and south-west Wicklow, with significant numbers of herds in Laois, north Kilkenny and east Tipperary also been locked up.
Spending
The Department of Agriculture’s direct spending on TB also appears to be on the wane, having dropped 7% to €48.5m despite the past year’s “strong market values” for cattle.
The impact of rising cattle prices on the cost of administering the TB programme has been partially offset by lower reactor numbers, leaving the Department’s spend on the On-Farm Market Valuation Scheme up by just 11% to €29m in the first six months of 2026.
Expenditure on TB compensation outside of reactor valuations fell by a quarter to €5.8m, the bill for wildlife is up just 1% to €4.1m, vet fees have dropped by 29% to €6.2m and the cost of the Department’s supplies is down by almost half.
SHARING OPTIONS