The testing requirements for herds that have suffered a TB breakdown in recent years are to be stepped up as part of the Department of Agriculture’s new strategy to tackle bovine TB.

From April 2021, new EU animal health laws will require that all cattle moving out of a herd undergo pre- or post-movement testing unless both the animal and the herd of origin were TB tested in the preceding six months.

The Department has indicated this requirement will be rolled out gradually and the initial focus will be on animals from herds that have had a breakdown in recent years.

The full details of what herds will be included has yet to be finalised. In TB risk letters issued by the Department, some 20,000 herds with a breakdown within the last three years were defined as high risk, these herds will likely be the first targets for the measure.