THE response of the Dept. of Agriculture to the latest bovine TB crisis has been described as ‘shambolic’ and ‘half baked’ by IFA representatives involved in animal health.

According to IFA figures, 6,000 farmers across the country, through no fault of their own, had lost 40,000 productive animals to TB in the past year, incurring costs of €69 million in testing fees, disease levies and labour.

Last February, the IFA submitted a detailed 13-point plan to the Dept. of Agriculture aimed at putting in place a series of measures to address the crisis situation as regards the spread of TB in cattle.

The proposals included measures to control badgers and deer; the use of a more sensitive test to ensure that reactors are removed quicker from herds; the use of TB resistant bulls; the development of an effective bovine vaccine for TB; and the putting in place of risk management plans.

IFA Animal Health Chair TJ Maher said that the recent TB Forum meeting was shambolic with the Department ‘flashing up’ over 25 ‘half-baked, poorly thought-out proposals with no detail and without even circulating them to stakeholders.

“This was in stark contrast to the detailed submission made by the IFA a month earlier. The Department don’t seem to appreciate the devastation this disease is causing on farms throughout the country. All of the work of the last nine months has been a complete waste of time,” said TJ Maher.

Galway IFA Chair, Stephen Canavan, told the Farming Tribune that the Department was ‘completely offside’ in their presentations to the TB Forum and said that the science ‘wasn’t keeping up to speed’ in terms of TB detections and preventative measures being put in place.

“The Department’s wildlife control programme is an absolute shambles – they don’t seem to have the personnel to do this work – and they also need to investigate the susceptibility of some dairy cows to the disease.

“What we don’t want to see are restrictions introduced for farmers which will impact on the market-place for cattle. TB is a huge issue in Galway and indeed across the country but the Department is

failing to bring the farmers onboard in the effort to tackle this problem,

“What we are seeing from the Minister and Department is a policy of keeping on doing the same things as regards the control of TB and then expecting to get different results,” said Stephen Canavan.

Galway IFA Animal Health rep Maura Canning said the current TB crisis is a direct result of flawed policy decisions in the past by the Department of Agriculture and their complete failure to adequately resource and consistently implement the programme.

Pictured: Galway IFA Chair, Stephen Canavan