Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

It is important to recognise this is a major concern to farmers. I have met individual farmers, farming organisations and collective groups of farmers on this issue in recent weeks. There is real concern that we should not overdo attempts to stamp out TB and thereby make life impossible for farmers. This applies in particular to contiguous herds because the only change my Department has made to the arrangements relating to the testing of neighbouring or contiguous herds is that herds adjoining a high-risk breakdown are now being trade-restricted, except for slaughter, pending a TB test. Consequently, there is an impact on farmers in this regard. On foot of my Department's discussions with farming organisations, we have made some changes because of the representations they have made. For example, it had been intended to have an automatic freezing of a herd if one happened to have a herd contiguous to a herd that contained a reactor or reactors. While there also were some communications problems that now have been ironed out, if, following communication with the farmer, a reasonable case can be made that there would be an extremely low risk of transmission of the disease between one herd and the other, an inspector or a vet can then make a judgment call as to whether that farmer should be trade-restricted. In other words, in a scenario in which a farmer has a field of barley between his or her herd and the contiguous herd or if there is a narrow buffer strip of forestry or whatever, it should be possible to apply a practical approach. We should not impose trade restrictions on farmers unless this is absolutely necessary.

There has been strong lobbying, asking us to review the four month period. Contiguous herds need to be tested and are restricted if they have not had a test within four months. Farming organisations would like us to extend that period to six months because that would ensure that in a worst case scenario there would not be a need for three tests in a year which would be very expensive and time consuming for farmers. I am looking at that but I must also take veterinary advice in this regard. We have less incidence of TB now than at any time since the 1950s. We are winning this fight and will eradicate TB in the not too distant future, which will be a fantastic achievement. I have to try to balance the concerns of farmers in respect of inconvenience with the advice I get from the vets in my Department. We will return to the farming organisations.

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