TB infection rates out of control, warn farm leaders

Farmers demand ‘fundamental changes’ in return for supporting eradication programme

Ciaran Moran and Margaret Donnelly

THE TB eradication programme is in crisis with infection rates at their worst in eight years and farmers and the Department of Agriculture at odds over its future.

Farmers are calling for ‘fundamental change’ in return for continuing to support the programme, after the Department embarked on a badger vaccination programme against the wishes of farmers.

The national herd incidence rate for bTB was 4pc for the 12 months to the end of June, with 4,225 herds out of 105,561 tested having at least one bTB positive animal.

This is the highest level of bTB in Ireland since 2012 and continues the trend of a gradual, ongoing increase in bTB incidence in recent years.

The infection rate in some areas appears out of control, with significant outbreaks in the north-east (Monaghan, Cavan, Louth and north Meath) as well as parts of Clare, Cork, Tipperary, Wicklow, Offaly and Westmeath.

ICMSA deputy president, Lorcan McCabe, said that the jump in TB reactors was “profoundly worrying” and he claimed that this was “exactly” the type of issue that farmers would appreciate Minister Calleary taking a direct interest in.

“Remember that this jump is occurring some years into our stated position of having TB eradicated in this state by 2030 – in other words, when we should be seeing the rates falling, we’re actually seeing them going the other way.”

Wildlife controls

IFA animal health chairman, Pat Farrell, said the Department of Agriculture’s failure to address the issue of wildlife spreading TB to cattle is the primary reason for the increase of TB levels in the country.

“If the Department of Agriculture is serious about addressing the levels of TB and pursuing the eradication of the disease by 2030 a comprehensive wildlife control programme is required that reduces the density of badgers and deer near TB outbreaks.”

ICSA animal health and welfare chair Hugh Farrell said it is no coincidence that TB levels have been rising as the number of badgers being culled has fallen. “Culling badgers proved itself to be very effective in controlling the spread of TB. Vaccination has not proven to be as effective so the decision to prioritise vaccination over culling is baffling and must be reconsidered.”

However, the Department describes the rise in infection rates as “multifactorial” and says the expansion of the dairy herd since 2015 has ‘played a role’, highlighting that dairy herds, larger herds, farm fragmentation and herds which introduce more cattle are all more at risk of bTB breakdowns. Last year, 52pc of all bTB reactors were in dairy herds.

Veterinary Ireland president Conor Geraghty, who is based in Mountbellew, Galway, said TB as a disease is very difficult to eradicate and can linger for up to 10 years in herds.

Any disease eradication programme, he said, has “heavy lifting and then a tail” and that over the last 20 years TB rates have fallen.

“When you have a slow growing disease and a lingering situation in wildlife it’s difficult to achieve eradication.

“Since 2012 there has been dairy expansion, a lot of cattle traded and those are probably part of it. Anywhere you have trading is going to increase the disease risk.

“There are suggestions that deer play a part, but science suggests they don’t.”

He also said that more aggressive testing around breakdowns, with higher sensitivity tests means that there will be more reactors found.

“That would account for some of the spikes, the Department is being more aggressive where there are breakdowns. if you do more testing, there are more tests and better tests.”

ICMSA Deputy President Lorcan McCabe

Complaints

ICMSA deputy president Lorcan McCabe said farmers are continually contacting the organisation with the same complaint: the Department was meant to introduce a single point-of-contact system for farmers ‘locked down’ through incidences.

This would allow farmers to ring one official who was across all aspects of the farmer’s case, he said, but it has never happened. “We have farmers being ‘passed from Billy to Jack’ around different officials and different sections seeking answers, while at the same time receiving very intimidating correspondence threatening their BPS or whatever.”

Pat Farrell of the IFA said the Minister for Agriculture Dara Calleary must fundamentally change the way farmers are treated in the TB programme to maintain the levels of support currently provided by farmers.

The ICSA’s Hugh Farrell said the TB Forum must be reconvened to address on-going issues and to resolve the many outstanding questions around compensation.

Funding

The Department has warned that given ongoing deteriorating TB statistics, Ireland faces a significant challenge in securing EU co-funding for 2021. Tackling the disease cost an estimated €92m in 2019 with farmers accounting for some €35m of the spend, while the EU funded the programme to the tune of €7m.

The Department has said any shortfalls in EU funding will need to be met solely by the Exchequer in the absence of any formal cost-sharing agreement with stakeholders.

In a briefing to the new Minister for Agriculture, the Department said it plans to issue a letter to each herd owner tailored to their individual herd in July, setting out their herd TB risk and providing an individualised report on their inward cattle movement patterns to enable them to better understand the source of their bTB risk.

“There is no demand made on farmers associated with the letter; while we hope and expect they will make use of it, there is no requirement for them to do so,” it said.

Vaccination

Despite recent efforts, disagreement between farmers and policymakers is likely to intensify with the Programme for Government setting out to extend the badger vaccination programme nationwide and end badger culling as soon as possible.

IFA’s Pat Farrell said the former Minister for Agriculture along with his officials had embarked on a vaccination programme for badgers against the wishes of farmers as part of the TB strategy.

The current Programme for Government references moving away from badger removals.

“This is a flawed policy that is costing farmers vast amounts of money in TB breakdowns and herd restrictions,” said Farrell.

‘Any disease where you have trading is going to increase the risk’