Over 90% of the herds restricted with TB in the past 12 months bought in cattle during the two years prior to restriction.
A total of 5,242 herds were restricted in the 12 months up to 16 June, with 4,816 or 92% of these herds having bought in animals in the 24 months before they failed the TB test.
The figures were confirmed by the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue in reply to a parliamentary question tabled by fellow Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill.
“As of 16 June 2024, on a 12-month rolling basis, herd incidence increased to 5.12% compared to 4.62% at the same time last year. In the past 12 months 5,242 herds were restricted, compared to 4,776 in the previous 12-month period,” Minister McConalogue said.
While the minister did not address the high proportion of animal purchases among the herds that went down with TB over the past year, he did cite the movement of cattle as a prime cause of the continued spread of the disease.
The other reasons cited in research were:
Residual infection in cattle previously exposed to TB;Spread across farm boundaries from infected cattle to uninfected cattle;Indirect spread through other biosecurity breaches;Spread from infected badgers to uninfected cattle.“Larger herds, fragmented farms, and herds that buy in cattle are all more at risk of TB breakdown.
“In addition, the expansion of the dairy herd since 2015 has had an impact on increasing TB levels also,” Minister McConalogue said.
Blamed
The increased incidence of TB in recent years is a major cause of concern among farmers and has been blamed by some on wildlife and particularly on greater deer numbers in many parts of the country.
The minister defended the performance of the Department of Agriculture on TB eradication, pointing out that the spread of the disease was “multifactorial”.
Over 90% of the herds restricted with TB in the past 12 months bought in cattle during the two years prior to restriction.
A total of 5,242 herds were restricted in the 12 months up to 16 June, with 4,816 or 92% of these herds having bought in animals in the 24 months before they failed the TB test.
The figures were confirmed by the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue in reply to a parliamentary question tabled by fellow Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill.
“As of 16 June 2024, on a 12-month rolling basis, herd incidence increased to 5.12% compared to 4.62% at the same time last year. In the past 12 months 5,242 herds were restricted, compared to 4,776 in the previous 12-month period,” Minister McConalogue said.
While the minister did not address the high proportion of animal purchases among the herds that went down with TB over the past year, he did cite the movement of cattle as a prime cause of the continued spread of the disease.
The other reasons cited in research were:
Residual infection in cattle previously exposed to TB;Spread across farm boundaries from infected cattle to uninfected cattle;Indirect spread through other biosecurity breaches;Spread from infected badgers to uninfected cattle.“Larger herds, fragmented farms, and herds that buy in cattle are all more at risk of TB breakdown.
“In addition, the expansion of the dairy herd since 2015 has had an impact on increasing TB levels also,” Minister McConalogue said.
Blamed
The increased incidence of TB in recent years is a major cause of concern among farmers and has been blamed by some on wildlife and particularly on greater deer numbers in many parts of the country.
The minister defended the performance of the Department of Agriculture on TB eradication, pointing out that the spread of the disease was “multifactorial”.
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