It can be devastating to lose a sick cow. Financially, there are the extra vet and medicine costs, plus the investment of around €1,500 to rear a replacement.

The time involved could be an hour or more per day in feeding, bedding and treatment. Time that means something else does not get done.

Then there is the emotion. I know it is a business, but I do have pride in my stock. I have been minding them since conception and get to know their individual characteristics.

When the illness is diagnosed by the TB test, it’s a whole different ball game, though the implications can be similar.

I am very lucky not to have lost half the herd like some farmers I know. Three dairy cows were diagnosed and duly sent for slaughter last summer.

A huge waste of genetics, but logical to remove the disease from my herd and the national herd.

Anything more than one TB reactor is deemed to be an outbreak and carries higher testing and isolation requirements for the remaining animals.

Effectively, it is assumed that more will be found. Thankfully, two clear herd tests have now followed and the DVO cleared the paperwork on the Friday before Christmas.

The opening of the safety valve meant the cull cows and a batch of weanling bulls were sold to their waiting buyers that Saturday, giving much-needed extra space.

On paper, I lost three cows. In reality, that was the cheapest part. I had planned to sell surplus stock in August/September; not being able to trade up wrecked my budgets.

On paper I was making money by increasing my stock value, but cashflow is what’s needed to pay bills.

Silage pits were smaller with extra grazing, and being eaten quicker with animals housed to slow the autumn rotation.

Ration is good value this year and extra silage was easy enough to source in this area to fill the gap.

On paper, the increasing stock value and good milk price should cover the extra feed costs.

In reality, it dropped efficiency and, as a farmer, I’ll never be paid for the increased workload that prevented routine maintenance and time off.

Questions

The big questions that remain in the aftermath are:

  • 1. With no subsequent reactors and nothing showing up in the post-mortem, was it really TB?
  • 2. Was I just lucky my herd test was timed to pick up all infected animals before it had a chance to spread?
  • 3. If it was TB, then where the hell did the infection come from to hit three animals in two different groups?
  • Whatever the answers, TB is costing farmers and the state more than just the cost of testing.

    I hope the newly announced badger vaccination will be a help and not just another cost. We need to beat this expensive disease.

    Read more

    TB in Kerry: Department and farmers to focus on problem pockets

    TB county by county: what are the worst affected areas?

    Badgers to be vaccinated as part of TB eradication