Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)

I am working with the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, on farmer mental health and well-being. This really is a key stressor and when somebody can have a significant breakdown. We want to support farmers through that journey. As the senior Minister with responsibility for the approach to bovine TB, the best way I can do that is give light at the end of the tunnel to those farmers who are in that cycle of continuous reactors and follow-up tests to show them there is a clear pathway out of this; and for those 94% of herds not affected, to give them a reassurance they have a good chance of avoiding being affected in the future. That is why all of the additional resources I am getting have to be focused on stopping the spread of the disease, nipping it in the bud, addressing the key causes of the spread of this disease, supporting farmers with increased biosecurity measures, investing more heavily in the wildlife response - one of the five key pillars - and having blood testing layered on high-risk herds. All of the key measures layered on one another give us a great opportunity to, once and for all, get on top of this disease, which is a very dynamic one in how it is acting at present, and get it back to a point where it is under control and going in a downward trajectory.

See this speech in context