Calves under 180 days of age no longer need to be TB tested in Northern Ireland, DAERA Minister Edwin Poots has announced.
The minimum age requirement has been increased from six weeks to 180 days to allow farmers and vets to undertake TB tests while abiding by social distancing.
However, untested calves aged between 42 and 180 days will be under movement restrictions.
Speaking at Stormont on Thursday, Minister Poots said that farmers will also be allowed to change to a different veterinary practice to enable a TB test to be completed.
“Where practices are not carrying out TB testing, and farmers in those areas need to have TB tests, they can go to a different practice. Previously that is something which was not allowed,” he said.
Minister Poots also announced on Thursday that herds that are restricted for overdue tests will be allowed to purchase cattle.
Other new changes from DAERA include:
Herds will not be automatically associated when cattle are permitted to move, on welfare grounds, from one TB restricted herd to another restricted herd.The requirement for herds that haven’t been tested for 15 months to complete two herd tests before regaining OTF (officially TB-free) status is being withdrawn as a temporary measure.The number of TB letters sent to farmers will be reduced by streamlining the current communications.Coronavirus
The announcement is the latest change to the TB testing rules in Northern Ireland as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In early April, Minister Poots confirmed that farmers will be given more time to move cattle in and out of herds before restrictions are put in place for an overdue test.
Normally, if a test has not been done within seven days of a due date, then movement restrictions are applied. This has now been extended to 35 days.
TB test requirement
At the end of March, DAERA removed the requirement for farmers to carry out TB tests.
However, reports indicate that TB tests are still taking place across Northern Ireland with around half completed compared with a normal year.
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Calves under 180 days of age no longer need to be TB tested in Northern Ireland, DAERA Minister Edwin Poots has announced.
The minimum age requirement has been increased from six weeks to 180 days to allow farmers and vets to undertake TB tests while abiding by social distancing.
However, untested calves aged between 42 and 180 days will be under movement restrictions.
Speaking at Stormont on Thursday, Minister Poots said that farmers will also be allowed to change to a different veterinary practice to enable a TB test to be completed.
“Where practices are not carrying out TB testing, and farmers in those areas need to have TB tests, they can go to a different practice. Previously that is something which was not allowed,” he said.
Minister Poots also announced on Thursday that herds that are restricted for overdue tests will be allowed to purchase cattle.
Other new changes from DAERA include:
Herds will not be automatically associated when cattle are permitted to move, on welfare grounds, from one TB restricted herd to another restricted herd.The requirement for herds that haven’t been tested for 15 months to complete two herd tests before regaining OTF (officially TB-free) status is being withdrawn as a temporary measure.The number of TB letters sent to farmers will be reduced by streamlining the current communications.Coronavirus
The announcement is the latest change to the TB testing rules in Northern Ireland as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In early April, Minister Poots confirmed that farmers will be given more time to move cattle in and out of herds before restrictions are put in place for an overdue test.
Normally, if a test has not been done within seven days of a due date, then movement restrictions are applied. This has now been extended to 35 days.
TB test requirement
At the end of March, DAERA removed the requirement for farmers to carry out TB tests.
However, reports indicate that TB tests are still taking place across Northern Ireland with around half completed compared with a normal year.
Read more
Self-employed support is not enough – Poots
DAERA in bid for £124m crisis fund
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