The Department of Agriculture will have to pay for any other required TB testing outside of the annual TB herd test, IFA animal health chair TJ Maher has said.

From February, cows and male cattle over 36 months old will need to be within six months of a TB test before they go through the mart ring. Animals out of test will have to be tested within 30 days by the cattle buyer.

“I’ve had lots of farmers giving out over the last week. The key issue is the test payment. We pay for one TB test per annum. Any other statutory TB test must be paid for by the Department,” Maher said.

“The Department has taken on board the science, old cows and bulls have a higher risk [of TB],” he said.

Maher added that there is no timeframe as to how long the increased TB testing rules will last for and no indication of when it will be rolled out to all stock.

ICSA

Irish Cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA) animal health and welfare chair, Hugh Farrell, called on the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and his Department officials to explain how they are going to finance additional TB testing demands facing farmers.

“At the TB Forum, ICSA has always been insistent that farmers pay for one annual herd test and one test only.

“However, ICSA, along with other farmer representatives, has been left exasperated by the Department’s refusal to engage with us on how any additional mandatory testing would be financed,” he said.

Reaction

Terry McGovern of Dowra Mart said that the new TB testing rules are only adding another expense onto farmers, unless the Department reimburses them.

“It doesn’t make a pile of sense and it will be unnecessary expense on farmers. It will take older cattle away from the marts,” he added.

David Quinn of Carnew Mart said that the new rules will take “competition out of the trade” and questioned whether the rules will apply to farmers buying cattle in marts which will be sent to the factory shortly after being bought.

Bandon Mart’s Seán Dennehy added that vets are barely able to test what they are testing at the moment.

“This is more of a workload for farmers and will make things awkward for marts.”

Conor Geraghty, a vet and former president of Veterinary Ireland, said that farmers are already well used to timing TB tests to suit cattle sales.

“For heavy cattle [out of test and sold through the ring], if they’re killed within the 30 days it doesn’t matter. Dealers will have to test twice a year anyways and lads with a lot of TB are in a testing cycle too.

“There’ll be a small cohort buying cattle that won’t know about the new rules,” he said, but overall he doesn’t see it as being more of a workload for vets.

If anything, the regulations will require farmers to be more organised, Geraghty added.

“They will get more organised rather than doing additional testing,” he said.