DEAR EDITOR

It seems that the departments of agriculture north and south intend to continue wasting millions of taxpayers’ money on so-called “TB eradication schemes”.

Why target the farmers instead of the actual cause of the disease?

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The answer is, both departments want to reduce livestock numbers by making farming more difficult to the point that it is no longer a viable enterprise.

The TB eradication scheme that is in operation, is a farmer eradication scheme. The results can be seen already. Farming families are taking up employment off the farm.

As a past chair of the IFA animal health committee, significant progress was made. It is my opinion that some farm organisations seem to be on the Department’s side rather than representing farmers. The disease is now rampant - has it spread to other wildlife?

Because proper TB eradication schemes were not introduced, the only solution is a livestock vaccine. If the commitment was there, it would not take 30 years to create a vaccine for livestock.