FARMERS with TB reactors, are in cases, losing well over €1,000 a head in compensation payments given the current high level of cattle prices in Ireland, a West of Ireland IFA representative said this week.

Connacht IFA Chair, Brendan Golden, said that they were again pressing the Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, to remove the compensation valuation ceilings currently applying to reactors.

“For example, a non-pedigree good quality cow or in-calf heifer could be worth in the region of €4,000 plus, but the maximum compensation amount that can be paid out is just €3,000,” Brendan Golden told the Farming Tribune.

The €3,000 ceiling applies to all non-pedigree cattle with a €5,000 ceiling in place for pedigree cows, pedigree in-calf heifers and up to three pedigree stock bulls.

“It’s bad enough a farmer having to go through a TB breakdown, in his or her herd, without then facing into a situation where the compensation level ends up way under the real value of the animal,” said Brendan Golden.

He added that given the increased budget for the TB Eradication Programme announced in Budget 2026, the first step to bring the compensation levels in line with the market value of the animal, was to remove the price ceilings.

“It may well happen that the value of animals could go down over the coming years and this can be reflected in the compensation amounts paid out, but it is completely unfair to have a ceiling in place, which could leave a farmer thousands of euros out of pocket,” said Brendan Golden.

He also welcomed efforts to control the deer population in high-risk TB areas and said that diseased badgers also needed to be culled in an effort to prevent a spread of bovine TB.

IFA Animal Health Chair, TJ Maher, said last week that the On Farm Market Valuation Scheme was agreed with the Department of Agriculture and Government over 25 years ago.

“This was put in place to ensure that farmers losing animals as part of a TB outbreak would get the same compensation as if the animal was offered for sale on the open market,” said TJ Maher.

He added that additional funding of €85m for the TB programme had been provided in the recent budget which now opened the door for the Minister to remove ceilings from the scheme entirely.

“This will ensure that the scheme serves its purpose and delivers on the agreement with Government of over 25 years ago, by ensuring animals removed from our farms by the Dept. of Agriculture, are receiving their true value.

“The TB programme is already costing farmers €150m annually, based on the IFA/IFAC analysis of costs.

“The ceilings of €3,000 and €5,000 are adding significantly to these costs and compounding already sizeable costs on farmers,” said TJ Maher.

Pictured: IFA Animal Health Chair, TJ Maher