IFA Animal Health Chair David Hall has strongly criticised the Department of Agriculture’s handling of the implementation of the Minister Heydon’s TB Action Plan, which came into effect on Monday, April 13th, describing the associated information campaign as inadequate and deeply confusing for farmers and marts.
“The Minister Heydon’s TB Action Plan has now been implemented, but the way in which it has been communicated to stakeholders has been shambolic,” David Hall said.
“An information leaflet was issued to every herd owner, however, it failed to clearly outline the new testing requirements. Instead, it vaguely referenced changes across different categories of animals, leaving farmers with more questions than answers,” he said.
The IFA Animal Health Chair said the subsequent publication of three herd categories has only added to the confusion, particularly as no direct communication has been issued to farmers outlining which category their herd falls into.
“Farmers have been left in the dark as to whether they are in Category 1, 2 or 3. These labels are meaningless without clear explanations, and there has been no effort made to directly inform individual farmers of their status,” he said.
“This lack of clarity has led to widespread uncertainty among farmers and mart managers as to which herds are permitted to purchase certain animals. Marts are now enforcing rules that have not been clearly communicated to them,” the IFA Animal Health Chair said.
David Hall has also raised concerns about inconsistencies in the Department’s published guidance. The leaflet delivered to every herd owner has a QR code that directs herd owners to the departments TB Hub which has information on the new rules and the TB Action Plan document itself.
“The Department has issued a set of frequently asked questions on its website, but the answers provided directly contradict the TB Action Plan document published on the same page. If the Department cannot get its own information straight, how can it expect farmers or marts to interpret and implement these rules correctly?” he stated.
“If the Department had engaged meaningfully with stakeholders prior to implementation, many of these issues could have been identified and resolved. Instead, we are now dealing with a completely avoidable mess,” David Hall said
The IFA Animal Health Chair said the Department of Agriculture must now take responsibility for the confusion it has created.
“Given the lack of clarity and preparedness, the Department must allow for a substantial lead-in period before enforcing these measures. It would be completely unacceptable for farmers to face penalties or enforcement actions for rules that have not been properly communicated.”
“The reality is that the Department was not ready to implement this plan. The Minister and his officials must now act quickly to fix the problems of their own making and restore confidence among farmers and the wider industry,” David Hall concluded.
