Farmers are struggling to receive clear guidance on new Tuberculosis (TB) rule queries from their Regional Veterinary Offices (RVOs), deputy president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) Eamon Carroll has said.

It appears that the vet offices are no wiser on the new rules than the farmers ringing them looking for guidelines on specific cases or circumstances, Carroll explained.

Carroll has asked Minister of Agriculture Martin Heydon and his Department when the dedicated TB helpline they promised last September was going to make an appearance or if it ever will.

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“Last September, Minister Heydon set out five fundamental points that he announced were going to be the basis for a whole new approach to TB,” Carroll stated.

“At the time, farmers were told, categorically, that there would be a dedicated TB helpline that was going to be set up to help farmers navigate our way through the new set-up.

“Here we are eight months later and not a word about the dedicated helpline. And the signal that this sends about the sincerity farmers can attach to Departmental announcements is very telling and, we think, very damaging to their reputation,” he outlined.

Many farmers were unable to get through to their RVOs and when they did, it seemed that staff had no more knowledge of the new rules than the farmers ringing, Carroll pointed out.

TB helpline

He noted that introducing simple initiatives like the helpline would help move understanding and acceptance forward significantly.

“Let’s have people who really know the answers on standby for those farmers with simple questions and who are expert enough to guide the farmer through the process,” he said.

Where are we on our request that farmers whose animals are impacted by these new rules would be written to identifying the animals in question and what rules are in place?

“Can we have action on the ability to accept valuations online, because that’s a bit ‘hit or miss’. The ability to know if a cow is eligible for sale should be clearly visible through Agfood.

“Where are we on our request that farmers whose animals are impacted by these new rules would be written to identifying the animals in question and what rules are in place? These are not complicated or random questions, they are integral and day-to-day queries to which there must be a speedy and clear response.

“It’s unfair on the farmers and unprofessional of the Department. The buck stops with Minister Heydon and the longer this non-communication continues the more damage is done to his standing with farmers,” he concluded.