Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response, but the fact is that there was a blatant lack of consultation or agreement on this issue and the TB forum was undermined. This heavy-handed proposal needs to be taken off the table. The Department was heavy handed in its approach. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State hopes to engage with all stakeholders and accepts that that needs to happen, but the whole problem is that there was not meaningful and proper engagement with stakeholders. Heavy-handed actions were taken. The decision needs to be reversed and we need to go back to the TB forum and put actions in place that are agreeable to everybody and which will not devalue herds or cause more hardship for farming families throughout the State. The proposal has not instilled confidence in farming organisations or farmers and, as such, it should be taken off the table immediately.

The costs of the current eradication programme as provided by the Department are slightly more than €90 million per annum. As I understand it, that does not include the significant labour costs associated with the TB programme for farmers which the IFA estimates amounts to a further €20 million annually. Irish farmers contribute a total of €55 million each year to the TB programme, comprising €27 million in annual TB testing costs, more than €7 million in disease levies, and €20 million in labour when facilitating more than 9 million animal tests per year and implementing the disinfection protocols following a disease outbreak. Despite this massive contribution by farmers - it is always farmers who bear the heaviest burden - there is a clear sense that they are being shafted by the new system. That is why I wish to emphasise that it needs to be taken off the table.

Instead of assisting farmers, it is penalising them and making their lives much more difficult and costly. It also creates significant potential for reputational damage around herd categorisations. I am pleading with the Minister of State to commit to meaningful consultations with farmers and the Rural Independent Group and to stop the roll-out of this system before it does immeasurable harm to farmers at a time when they can least afford it.

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