The TB Eradication Programme is to be reviewed and relaunched in 2018. In the coming months, the Department of Agriculture will invite farm organisations and other stakeholders for meetings on the issue.

Ahead of this, the IFA and the other farm organisations are currently reviewing their policies on TB.

The review is taking place for a number of reasons. The downward trend in disease levels of recent years has levelled out. National herd incidence rose – albeit slightly – in the first three quarters of 2017.

The Department is, therefore, keen to introduce a range of new controls to restart the downward trend and finally eliminate the disease. These could include new restrictions on cattle movements and on herds with the disease.

The Department also wants to introduce badger vaccination after trialling it for a decade. Last month, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said that while it is not a “silver bullet” research has shown that vaccinations have a role to play in reducing the level of infection in cattle.

Farmers would welcome any new measures to tackle TB in deer in Wicklow and other counties where deer numbers are rising. They will also want to see a number of current rules relaxed.

For example, where a lesion is found at a factory, the farmer can wait for up to 10 weeks for a clear result. During that time replacement stock cannot be bought in.

The farm organisations are likely to resist any move to display the history of herds at marts, already being called a “name and shame” idea.

Case study: Darragh Scott, Co Tipperary

Dairy farmer Darragh Scott is battling a TB outbreak. He runs a herd of British Friesians at Gortnahoe, Co Tipperary, with his father, Michael. The farm was free of TB for many years – until last autumn. Out of the blue, the annual herd test in November found 10 reactors. An adjacent farm has now had a breakdown, its first in 25 years.

The two farms run closed dairy herds, breeding replacements. The infection is, therefore, likely to have come from badgers or deer.

According to Darragh Scott, despite Coillte forestry nearby, there are not many deer visible in the general area. There have been three badger setts on his land for years, he said.

“We never interfered with them as they never caused any problem.”

The Department of Agriculture is investigating if the local badger population is carrying TB. Darragh has learned that a new set has appeared in bogland near his farm.

Badger tracks from that sett lead towards the two dairy farms. Darragh suspects that an infected badger strayed onto his land.

Retest

The Scott’s 60-day retest took place in late January. While blood samples from the 10 reactors had tested positive for TB, no lesions were found at the factory.

“Therefore, we felt it was a recent infection and we might get clear in the retest.” But five more cows went down. They will be culled in coming days, after they’ve calved.

So Darragh is once again negotiating on compensation: “Our cows are pretty high yielding. They did about 440kg of solids last year. But a good half of the herd are mature cows and the compensation for mature cows is basically cull value. We’re milk recording and that helps.

“The first 10 cows we lost averaged about €1,350. The five to be culled now will probably average €1,450. One is 15 years old, but she looks like a six- or seven-year-old.

“She’ll still go for cull value. We haven’t been awkward with the Department, but we’re talking to the valuer.”

Because they lost over 10% of the herd, the Scotts are getting income supplement of €55/month/cow culled.

“That will pay bills.”

Last year they milked 76 cows, this year they had planned to milk up to 90. Those plans are now clearly under threat.

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