Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)

I agree. The Deputy spoke about the investment from my Department. It will take increased investment in the short term to try to get on top of this issue. I am willing to do that in order to prioritise. There are three key drivers of the infection: the role of wildlife, cattle-to-cattle transmission and the residual element left in herds that had a significant breakdown. My five-point plan includes supporting herds free of bovine TB to remain free; reducing the impact of wildlife on the spread of bovine TB; detecting and eliminating bovine TB infection as early as possible in a TB breakdown to avoid future breakdowns; and helping farmers to improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity. There are simple measures that can greatly reduce, statistically, the risk of the spread of infection. The final point is reducing the impact of known high-risk animals in spreading bovine TB. If we follow the science, we can make a significant difference and greatly reduce the number of people directly impacted and the economic impact that is so devastating for our farmers and farm families. I would love to be able to do that with consensus of the key stakeholders I will meet later this week.

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