Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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95. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current cost of the bovine TB eradication programme; if he will address the concerns regarding funding shortfalls in the bovine TB compensation scheme for affected farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54860/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Bovine TB is an ongoing challenge for Irish farmers. I am acutely aware of the emotional and financial impacts of bovine TB on farmers, their families and rural Ireland. In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in bovine TB levels nationally, with over 6,000 farm families affected by a bovine TB outbreak in 2024, and herd incidence at 6.04%. The primary driver of the cost of the bovine TB programme is disease levels. In 2024, the bovine TB programme cost €100m, which was an increase of 35% on 2023. For this year up to 30 September, just under €80 million has been spent on the TB programme.

I secured an increased allocation of €85 million for bovine TB in budget 2026, providing a total budget of €157 million. This additional funding is vital in addressing the disease and I am confident that it will help to drive down bovine TB levels in the coming years. I published and got agreement on the bovine TB action plan, addressing bovine TB in Ireland, on 9 September. I do not believe I would have secured the extra €85 million for a business case that proposed business as usual. I had to take a new approach. This is the biggest step change in the history of the State in how we address bovine TB. The action plan follows extensive discussions with stakeholders in recent months. It is based on scientific research and veterinary expertise.

My Department provides a range of financial supports that focus on compensating farmers for both direct and indirect losses incurred as a result of a bovine TB outbreak on the farm. The primary support scheme is the on-farm market valuation scheme, and this is augmented by the income supplement scheme, the depopulation grant scheme and the hardship grant scheme. The new plan looks to direct investment to the key drivers of the disease and to stop its spread. Compensation is absolutely critical so that farmers can continue with their livelihoods, but I must direct the new money to reducing or stamping out this disease. We will see a spike in the first two years and a downward trend thereafter. That will allow me to free up money in the budget for other areas.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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The escalation in expenditure for the TB programme over the last number of years has been nothing short of phenomenal. There was €37 million in 2019, €43 million in 2020, €52 million in 2021, €57 million in 2022, €74 million in 2023 and €100 million in 2024. I attended a meeting of the agricultural committee last June where it was predicted that we were on track for €130 million for 2025. If the trends continue, we are on course for €160 million or €170 million in 2026. The expenditure by the State on the TB programme is massive but the herd incidence rate is also massive.

I acknowledge the additional €85 million that will go towards the initiative in 2026. It will enable the roll-out of the TB action plan. It is, however, imperative that while some of the extra funding is allocated to bovine TB management to tackle the disease, some of it should go to additional compensation schemes for farmers as the current scheme, with the values included in it, has outgrown its time. It is not financially acceptable or fit for purpose in the current economic environment.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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As part of the work of the TB forum, which has done extensive work down the years, a dedicated financial working group was established to review the financial modelling of various elements of the bovine TB eradication programme. Agreement was reached within the group in the past two years and there were rate enhancements to the income supplements scheme, the hardship grant and the depopulation grant, as well as enhanced ceilings for selected animals being removed as part of the on-farm market valuation scheme. In addition, the financial working group also expanded the eligibility criteria under the income supplement and hardship grant schemes.

The figures outlined by the Deputy are very stark, though. It is true that the new action plan will, if it is working, see an increase in the number of reactors next year, not necessarily the number of herds impacted. We have too many residual reactors going undetected and seeding the disease by being sold on to other farms. With increased gamma interferon testing - the blood testing - layered on in high-risk herds, we will identify more of those reactors earlier. The modelling predicts 62,000 reactors next year. That is why we need €157 million to address that. In two years' time, the reactor levels should plateau and we should see them coming down.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Irish farmers and agrifood companies produce world class products to the highest international standards of food safety and quality. Our food safety and traceability systems continue to be recognised as among the very best in the world and are critical to supporting the export of our produce across the globe. In my part of the country in Counties Carlow and Kilkenny, I have spoken to many concerned farmers and representatives of farming organisations. Like in other parts of the country, we have seen significant increases in TB detection. Herds have been impacted right throughout the island. These are very dramatic figures but it is also a very emotive issue. The Minister says that a confirmed case of TB brings emotional turmoil, but also financial turmoil to farmers who have contracted TB in their herds. I ask that the Minister and his Department take into consideration the financial side but also the emotional side to make sure the correct supports are in place for farmers who have a positive indicator and TB in their herds.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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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.

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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Deputy Burke wants to come in for a supplementary question.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I will be brief. I thank the Minister, the Department, the vets and all involved in this for all the work they are doing. One issue that has come to my attention is the additional compensation that is available. It is available on the basis that the total number of reactors is 9.5% or above. That is fine in a situation where it is 9.5% of 50 animals but if it is 9.5% of 300 animals and the number of reactors does not reach that even though there is a huge loss, for instance, 27 out of 300 animals, there are no additional supports. At the same time, they are also locked up for a considerable period of time so there is a substantial loss there. Will that issue be reviewed as well because it has a huge effect on a farm, no matter what size, but in particular where there is a substantial loss of animals?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Burke for raising this point. I know it is a big issue in County Cork, as it is throughout the country. The income supplement scheme he referenced has been reviewed and there have been increases in thresholds across the hardship grant, depopulation grant and others. At the heart of all of these grants and supports is the fact that we have a disease that is wreaking havoc and causing great stress and strain to our farming families, and a huge financial strain to my budget. I could think of so many better ways of spending €157 million next year supporting our farmers across a whole host of areas than having that money drained. Deputy Cleere outlined that, in 2019, the total spend from my Department's budget on the eradication of bovine TB was just €37.5 million. Think about that. In six or seven years, the spend has gone from €37.5 million to €157 million. We have to crack this nut once and for all. I am determined to lay the foundation, during my time in this role, so that we get on top of this disease and get back to being able to talk about eradication in a clear way. We have been talking about generational renewal. One of the key things for generational renewal is being able to give certainty for the future. If we can get on top of bovine TB, I believe our action plan, properly funded and resourced now and with the buy-in of all sides, will deliver in the medium and long term.

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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Deputy Kenny has a supplementary question.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the movement and commitment to deal with bovine TB and the huge problem it is throughout the length and breadth of the country. A lot of family farms are locked up and there is a whole crisis around that. I gave an example last week, or maybe earlier this week, of a farmer who had written to me. He had seven cattle who went down with TB. The compensation was based on 2023 prices, so he was only able to buy four replacements for those seven cattle with the money he got. That is a big problem for a lot of the farmers out there, in that the level of compensation they get is not able to match their loss because they have to go to the mart the next week or the following week and buy cattle to replace what they have lost. The way prices are at the moment, they cannot afford to do it. We can talk about the level of compensation and all of that but unless farmers are getting equal, like-for-like compensation, they are having serious problems. That is one of the biggest worries people have, namely, that when they have reactors in their herds and get the compensation, the compensation is not able to replace what they have lost. That is the one point I wanted to raise with the Minister and is something that really needs to be dealt with.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I cannot stress any further that I am absolutely aware of the financial impact on farm families who have continuous reactors, whose herds are locked up and all of the strain that brings. That is why the additional money I get and the significant resources I now have must go into tackling the spread of the disease. It is pivotal. I do not want future generations of families to go through that same stress, financial turmoil and everything that goes with it. This action plan, which is now fully funded, is about addressing the key causes of the spread of that disease and targeting the money at spaces that will stop the spread of the disease, nip it in the bud and get the disease back under an element of control. To be successful, that plan means we need to find additional reactors next year and the year after, and that is what we will do. We will find them earlier. We will stop those reactors being undetected, going out and seeding the diseases out further. By doing that, fewer farmers will be impacted. I will keep a close eye on the compensation rates and where they are at-----

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Compensation has to be key.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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-----but I have to direct the financial resources I have to stopping the spread of the disease. That is my clear focus here.