Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Rather than cover old ground, I would like to come in on the issue of the history being published. First, I have a couple of questions on the biological make-up of the animal and why, when there is TB in a herd, it is only one or two animals that are affected, following which a herd could be clear for five or six years only to be affected again. What is the biological make-up of the animal such that if one animal is infected the entire herd does not become infected? If a badger or deer infects an animal and it does not cross-infect the herd, the farmer can have two or three clear test results once that animal has been removed but as the badger or deer would still be around, that farmer or a neighbouring farmer could have another reactor four or five years later. Why, when one animal is infected, does the rest of the herd not become infected? Can the witnesses explain the reason for the sporadic infection and has the Department undertaken an analysis of the prevalence of infection in indigenous herds versus imported herds? In other words, cattle imports that have been fattened and cattle bred here, perhaps by a dairy farmer breeding replacement heifers? Do the witnesses have data on the countries in which TB remains an issue and to which we live export? Have there ever been red flags raised regarding the identification of TB in a country where it was not an issue prior to it receiving exports from Ireland? Are there countries to which we export where TB has never been an issue? If there is, it would eliminate the badger and the deer. If there is not, it might eliminate a lot of what has been said about the herd and the ten-year possibility of an outbreak in Irish animals, from animal to animal.