Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

The Department is always open to suggestions. When I got a telephone call from a man from Kilkenny about the new practices, coming from a farming background, I was a little bit shocked in one way. However, what has shocked me all my life since I was 14 years old and testing cattle, is that we have not got rid of TB. Given that we have got the figures down to such a small number, now is the time to really put the boot in to get rid of it altogether. They have been able to eradicate TB completely in other countries and we can do so too. It will cause a bit of concern for certain farmers, such as the man about whom Deputy Moynihan spoke. If a farmer's herd goes down and if the herd on the adjoining farm has not been tested for almost ten months and it has spread to that herd, if that farmers sells his cattle in the mart, it will spread further.

If more than two cattle are infected on a farm and if the herds on neighbouring farms have not been tested within the past four months, they are asked to test. I know there are pregnancies with cattle about to calf. However, it is about education. The farming organisations have agreed with it.

We probably should have spread the word more as to what was happening. Getting rid of TB is achievable. The scourge of any farmer's life is rounding up cattle, putting them in a crush and TB testing them only to find the next day that an animal has aborted or whatever. We have a great opportunity. Although it will cause inconvenience, we should do it.

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