This is a subscriber-only article
The number of herds subject to four-month TB testing has risen by 22% compared to the same period last year.
Herds in high-risk TB areas must test their herds every four months, even when they have tested clear of the disease. The cost of the additional TB tests is carried by the Department of Agriculture.
Some 5,574 herds were subject to four-month (contiguous) testing by 30 June this year. In comparison, 4,563 herds were subject to testing in the same period last year and 4,180 herds were tested up to 30 June in 2017.
“By carrying out TB tests on such neighbouring herds every four months whilst the original herd is restricted, the TB outbreak can be confined,” the Department said.
They added that more regular testing helps to control future disease outbreaks in a local area and protect other herds.
Case study: beef farmer, west of Ireland
“I’m bounding a TB feedlot and another farmer who has gone down with TB and the Department has just told me I have to test every four months. The added stress and workload is awful. It is one thing testing in the summer but bringing in cattle in the winter and dealing with sheds and paying more people to help herd them in is tough. It’s a health and safety risk.
“I don’t understand why we have to keep going through it when we’ve been testing clear.”
SHARING OPTIONS: