Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

82. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline his Department’s plans to deal with bovine TB; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36021/25]

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Can the Minister outline the Department’s plans to deal with bovine TB, which he spoke about earlier, and particularly his approach to badger culling and badger vaccination as part of that?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The overall response to TB is to address all elements of its spread. There are three key contributors: wildlife, its control, and the interaction of wildlife with bovines; cattle-to-cattle transmission; and residual transmission in the herd.

As we know, herd incidence has increased from 4.3% in 2022 to 6.04% in 2024, resulting in a 36% increase in the number of herds restricted between 2022 and 2024. As of 22 June this year, over a 12-month period we had a herd incidence of 6.43% with over 43,455 reactors. This disease is having an impact on our farmers and their families both financially and emotionally throughout rural Ireland. This cannot be allowed to continue. It is also having an impact on badgers and on the wildlife the Deputy talks about. It stands to reason if there is more of it in the countryside, either among our bovines or among the wildlife, there will be more of it in each group. When incidence rises in our bovines, it is rising in the wildlife too. We want to stop the badger getting TB the same way we want to stop the cattle getting it. When we discover animals that have it, they are removed to stop its spread and for their own sake. That is an important intervention.

In my engagement with all key stakeholders including the NPWS, ICOS and all the farm bodies, I have outlined a new approach that I want to take which would involve increased investment from my Department and would address all five key pillars of bovine TB; that is, to support herds that are free of it; reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of TB; detect and eliminate infection as early as possible in herds with a TB breakdown and avoid a future breakdown; help farmers to improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity; and reduce the impact of known high-risk animals in spreading bovine TB. That would include deer as well as badgers.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I do not think anyone is underestimating or minimising the absolute devastation when a farmer realises they have TB in their herd. As the Minister says, it is not just a financial but also an emotional shock and trauma for the family. The most important thing to do is put in place a system that is going to work for them. The Minister talks about being led by science. I cannot see any definitive scientific evidence to show that badgers are responsible for the spread of TB. Actually, it is the opposite. In 2022 England conducted a study on this and found there was no significant evidence to show any impact on badger TB with the herd. Indeed, Scotland has been TB-free since 2009 and they do not cull at all. If we look internationally and see where it works and where it is being done properly, badger culling does not play a part in it. It is about husbandry, stock intensity, the biosecurity measures and supporting farmers to do that. If we are being led by science, as we absolutely need to be, we must be really clear about badgers and their role, or non-role, in this. We are culling a significant number of badgers and it is not having the desired impact anyway.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

If a badger is examined and tested and is found to have TB, then for its own sake it needs to be culled as well as to stop the spread of the disease to other badgers, bovines and others within the community. Vaccination has a role to play but the vaccination process we have used to date has not worked to the same extent. I will be very clear. There are three causes of the spread of this disease and wildlife is one of them. As the Deputy knows in her county and mine, deer are a significant contributor. We have had deer management units established that will play an important role. The Deputy is also right to say there are animal husbandry and other measures in here as well. That is why we have the five pillars of approach, which have 30 proposed actions under them. I said at the start that not all actions need to be implemented but we need a critical mass of them to layer over each other. They would include biosecurity measures like fencing off a badger sett. That makes a big difference. I want to communicate this better with farmers. They think it is kind of a strange thing as it will not stop the badger coming out of the sett. It is not about stopping the badger. The badger does not want to interact with the bovines. Bovines by their nature are nosey. They tend to go and nose in around the sett or the latrine in front of it. Badgers tend to urinate there. That is not what we want. We need to keep the cattle back from them and keep the division between them. Measures like this and raising water troughs are things I want to support farmers to do, as well as the other measures here, to stop that interaction.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I would be really keen if the Minister could send me the studies and evidence that show transmission of TB from badgers to cattle and the incidence. If a badger has TB that is not a good thing for the badger, but the Department culled nearly 7,500 badgers last year and 20% of them had TB. The culling involves snares which not only is an incredibly inhumane way for an animal to die but it is not targeted. It also kills dogs, lambs, and foxes, where they have been disemboweled or have had to chew their own leg off to get away from the snare. This is a really aggressive, inhumane way of culling. I would really like to see the evidence to show this is what is actually going to assist farmers. This programme has gone on for about 70 years now. We spend billions on this every year. We need to get it right for the farmers. The approach that has been taken to date is not getting it right. Unfortunately it seems that badger culling is going to be a key component of the Minister's reforms going forward. I cannot see the evidence for that so I would really appreciate if he could send it to me.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A series of my proposals would be around changing how we deal with the current vaccination approach. The current approach has been vaccinating without testing the animal. We can now test a badger and have a result within about ten minutes. There are challenges to that on the bovine side. Where an animal tests positive, for its own sake and the sake of everyone else in the sett and the bovines, it does need to be removed, but otherwise it can be vaccinated.

I also want to do a programme of vaccination of badgers that do not have the disease ahead of big projects. Badgers by their nature, if they are disrupted, tend to move significant distances not to have to be moved again. They are quite territorial. When they move, they will move about 1 km. When we know a forest is going to be felled, a new road is going to be built or a big infrastructure project is going to happen that will upset them, we need to be vaccinating them proactively beforehand. Then when they move, they will not be bringing the disease with them and spreading it out. The Deputy will see a number of measures in this approach. I would also be interested in the Deputy sharing that data with me that she said shows badgers are not spreading TB to bovines. By all means, I will consider that in the mix as well.