Reaction to Minister’s New TB Plan

IFA President Francie Gorman said that the Bovine TB Action Plan launched today by the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon contains some positive aspects, but also some measures which would be very tough for the farmers whose herds fail a TB test.

“While we fully understand that there needs to be a new programme, it would have been better to have agreement with farmers,” he said.

“I would acknowledge that the Minister and the Department took on board a lot of the concerns raised by IFA and others. However, this document was not agreed with the IFA,” he said.

The IFA President said that the support schemes in the TB programme will have to be reviewed to ensure fitness for purpose before any additional controls or restrictions can be imposed on farmers. This must start by immediately removing the outdated arbitrary ceilings of €3,000 and €5,000 applied by the Department to the On Farm Market Valuation Scheme.

“These limits are unfair and with the welcome rise in the value of stock, more and more animals are exceeding the limits which leaves farmers out of pocket at what is a terrible time on their farm,” he said.

On the positive side, the programme contains significant enhancements to the Wildlife Control Programme which is vital if TB levels are to be brought under control.

However, Francie Gorman said there are also a number of measures in the action plan that will impact directly on farmers and in how we farm in the event of a TB outbreak. These include identifying breeding females 18 months and older at the point of sale that have been part of what DAFM have deemed to be a high-risk breakdown.

In addition, the Minister’s decision to extend the restriction period for cows in herds of over 80 cows where over 5% of animals in the group test positive for TB will be very difficult for the farmers involved. These measures will further compound the losses on farms and must be fully costed and compensated for.

IFA Animal Health Chair TJ Maher said IFA raised this issue of the live valuation ceilings directly with the Minister in all discussions on TB and it is unacceptable that he did not today announce the removal of this unfair outdated blunt instrument.

He said the Minister will need the goodwill of farmers to advance his TB Action Plan. “Removing the outdated ceilings that have failed to keep pace with the value of animals in the marketplace in the Live Valuation scheme is the first step and it must happen immediately.”

TJ Maher said the TB Action Plan will not be worth the paper it is written on if the Minister does not address the shortcomings in administering the scheme by his officials on the ground.

He said farmers need an effective TB programme, administered efficiently and consistently throughout the country.

“Commitments made in the wildlife programme require additional staff on the ground to implement them. The process of providing these must start immediately,” he said.

The IFA Animal Health Chair said the plans announced by the Minister lack detail in how they will be implemented at farm level and they don’t have funding commitments.

“We must have a meaningful engagement now from the Minister and his officials to ensure the impact of the plans is kept to an absolute minimum on farms and any additional costs or distortion to the marketing of animals from farms is quantified and fully compensated for.”

He said the Minister and his officials should remember farmers are the single largest contributor, at €150m annually, to the cost of the TB programme. 

“There is no TB programme without farmers. They must be at the core of the next steps as the Minister’s plans are fleshed out and assessed for fitness of purpose,” he concluded.