A group which was charged by Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir to produce a “delivery plan” for new bovine TB policy in NI has missed its original deadline.

The TB partnership steering group was established in January 2025 with the remit of producing a report for Minister Muir’s consideration by the end of March.

A spokesperson for DAERA said the group has met 11 times since it was set up, with the most recent meeting taking place on Tuesday.

“The development of the draft delivery plan is ongoing, and it is anticipated that the final version will be presented to the minister shortly,” the spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

The group was set up to consider a report published by NI chief vet Brian Dooher in November 2024 which contained 40 proposals relating to TB policy in Northern Ireland.

The Dooher report includes the use of a Test, Vaccinate and Remove (TVR) approach to wildlife intervention in TB hotspot areas, as well as stricter rules on cattle movements and TB testing.

Proposals

The TB partnership steering group, which is considering his proposals, is made up of representatives from 12 organisations across farming, industry, environmental and veterinary sectors.

Sources indicate that finding agreement within the group and with DAERA officials, is proving difficult, particularly around the thorny issue of meaningful steps to address the TB reservoir in wildlife.

Farmer representatives have consistently argued that stricter rules on the likes of TB compensation, herd testing and cattle movements cannot be rolled out until the wildlife issue is addressed.