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TB reactor figures have increased by 15% since this time last year. \ Philip Doyle
The timely removal of positive TB reactors across the country is vital in the fight against the disease.
Citing figures from the latest farmers charters meeting on Thursday 6 December, ICOS livestock executive Ray Doyle said that a fast removal rate was “essential”.
Doyle explained that Department of Agriculture figures showed 56% of positive reactors are removed within zero to five days; 35% in six to 10 days; 5% in 11 to 15 days; 2% in 16 to 20 days and 2% in more than 21 days.
Overall, TB reactor figures have increased by 15% since this time last year.
"While these figures seem impressive at a national level, they are averages only and significant variations could exist regionally,” Doyle said.
Cost of scheme
He also raised concerns on the cost of the TB eradication programme annually for farmers.
Farmers contributed up to €32m of the €84m scheme last year.
If the disease is to be eradicated by 2030, as Minister Michael Creed has expressed he wishes to do, then up to €1bn will be spent by that time with little to no improvement rate if the disease continues on the current trajectory, according to Doyle.
He said that while they recognised the importance of the scheme, “it also represents a drain on scarce financial resources that could be better directed at initiatives that grow the broader agri-food sector”.
Northern Ireland has just published new figures on the carbon intensity of its milk.
Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has published its carbon intensity indicators for 2016, showing that 1kg of milk at standard fat and protein content was associated with greenhouse gas emissions of 1.285kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
This is a reduction of one third on 1990 levels.
"Whilst milk production in the dairy sector has expanded by 66% since 1990, the total number of dairy cows over this period has remained relatively static, meaning this improvement has been driven by substantial increases in milk yield per cow," according to a DAERA statement . The carbon efficiency of milk has also improved faster than the rest of Northern Ireland's economy.
Republic
In the Republic, emissions from 1kg of standard milk amounted to 1.14kg CO2e. While there's no recent European comparison, a 2011 official study found the Irish carbon intensity of milk to be the lowest in the EU.
Meanwhile, 1kg of Irish beef was responsible for 11.58kg of emissions in 2016. Those values continue to improve every year.
Read a full explanation of the way greenhouse gas emissions are calculated in Thursday's Irish Farmers Journal.
John Brooks pictured with his family at the west region Texel club annual show and sale of in-lamb shearling ewes and maiden ewe lambs at Roscommon Mart on Friday night, 7 December.
Weather forecast
Tonight will become quite windy, with freshening southerly breezes.
It will be predominantly dry, but there will be a few patches of rain and drizzle about.
Minimum temperatures of 5°C to 9°C, according to Met Éireann.
Tuesday will see a dry day in many central and eastern counties.
Rain will extend across most of Munster and Connacht by the afternoon.
Rain will then gradually spread eastwards during the evening, with some heavy bursts possible.
Highest temperatures of 10°C to 13°C in moderate to fresh south to southeast winds.
In the news
The Ballygawley Veterinary Clinic in Northern Ireland has been issued with an improvement notice after being found to be contravening a number of regulations.
The Ballygawley Veterinary Clinic in Northern Ireland has been issued with an improvement notice after being found to be contravening a number of regulations.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) in the UK stated that it had found the practice to be supplying unauthorised veterinary medicine.
There were no Republic of Ireland farms involved in the notice
The VMD stated it had discovered: “Wholesale dealing of unauthorised veterinary medicinal products to other veterinary practice premises without a wholesale dealer's licence.”
The practice had also been found to be supplying farms with veterinary medicine without sufficient evidence that the animals were under the care of vets or that a clinical assessment of the animals had been carried out.
Although there had been some concern that sales of unauthorised veterinary products were travelling south of the border, a spokesperson for the VMD stated: “I can confirm that there were no Republic of Ireland farms involved in the notice concerning Ballygawley Veterinary Clinic.”
Improvements
The VMD stated that a number of improvements needed to be made by the practice.
All wholesale activities must cease and all supplies of Singvac and Botulism Vaccine must have a valid special treatment certificate and must only be supplied to the named farm with the volume stated on the certificate.
“All supplies must cease until such time as procedures have been implemented to ensure that all supplies occur in accordance with the certificates,” the VMD stated.
Adequate records must be put in place to show that antibiotics prescribed to animals were needed, according to the VMD.