Mr. Eddie Punch:

We question how the Department is spending €28.5 million on administration, which is by far the biggest element of its expenditure. If we compare that to the fact the entire herd testing programme is costing approximately €27 million, going by the Department's estimates, how is it allocating €28.5 million to administration, in essence? In our view, it seems strange, if we compare it, for example, to the €2 million spent on research.

We would also like to see results from research rather than just spending €2 million on it every year. Research should come to a conclusion and there should be results, but there is definitely a need to allocate more resources to the wildlife programme and the culling of deer. For three or four years, we have listened to the Department wash its hands of the deer problem by stating people can get a licence to shoot deer if they like. That is not good enough. The Department has also been of the view that this is not a problem because the incidence rate is low, but the limited amount of testing it has done of deer has shown an incidence of 3% to 4% TB infectivity, which is the same level as that in the cattle herd. There is, therefore, a big problem with deer.

Some €27 million in farmers' money, or €35 million including the payment of disease levies, is spent on testing bovines. Very little money is being spent on testing badgers that are being vaccinated, though, so we do not know what the story is there. Realistically speaking, no money is being spent on testing or culling deer. It is clear that there is an imbalance in the way the budget is being spent.

Regarding the €28.5 million in administrative costs, we do not understand how it is that high. Think about it. Everyone here knows what is involved in a herd test. It is heavy work. The entire national herd is tested for the same cost as the administrators dealing with the 4.5% of herds that have reactors. There is something amiss here. The issue is that a cost is being allocated across a range of veterinary staff and is being attributed to TB. We would question that. Either the figure is wrong or too much is being spent on administration vis-à-visresearch and, in particular, wildlife.