The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said that there must be no cuts to the value of livestock removed from farms that have gone down with TB.
This comes following reports that a cut to compensation payments for TB reactor cattle is being considered by DAERA.
Due to decades of inaction and more recently failing to fully implement the revised TB strategy set out by the previous DAERA minister, the UFU says the level of TB in Northern Ireland has escalated out of control.
Latest figures show 5,602 reactor cattle left Northern Ireland farms in the first four months of 2023, up 21% on the same period last year.
Budget issues
UFU president David Brown acknowledged that DAERA is in a difficult financial position with a lower budget for 2023 to 2024.
However, the UFU, he said, made it perfectly clear during a recent meeting with DAERA that there are to be no cuts to the value of livestock in an attempt to make up for this shortfall.
"When a herd is infected with TB, farmers are already suffering a significant loss of income coupled with mental stress and to hit them when they are already down is absolutely unacceptable and unjust.
"We reminded DAERA that stock valuations are not compensation and that the cattle are not being removed by choice, but because there is no other alternative," he said.
Pressure
He said that the UFU will continue to keep the pressure on DAERA officials and engage with the wider industry to get the proposed measures implemented and work towards eradicating the disease once and for all.
“We also raised the vital need to maintain front-of-office staff in DAERA direct offices. This is a valuable face-to-face service for the more elderly members of the farming community and it needs to be maintained," Brown said.
