Paraic Brady (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of TB testing and TB sector in Ireland. At this moment in time, 6.2% of the national herd is closed due to TB. If we define this 6.2%, it is late testing in animals and cows brought in that had not been tested in a 60-day period. They are part of the 6.2%. Skin testing is usual way of testing animals. However, when an animal goes down following a skin test, the Department carries out a blood test on this animal. Does that give us a clear indication that the skin test is accurate? Many of the animals that go down after the skin test have been proved not to have TB.

We have been testing animals for 58 or 59 years. We have not got to the bottom of the whole sector. It is a bottomless pit where we are throwing good money after bad. We are talking about fencing badger sets and not letting the badgers out to mix with bovines. We need to bring all sectors together to collaborate on testing. If we could vaccinate people during Covid, how come we cannot vaccinate the national herd against TB? It is ridiculous when one thinks about it. Millions upon millions have been spent on TB.

At this moment in time, the price of a reactor is €2.86 per kg. The price of that animal in the mart is €6.50 per kg, so the farmer is not getting paid market value for the animal that goes down. I ask that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine raises the value of the reactor to the market value at least in the short term. This would help alleviate some of the stress, pain and anxiety this has caused throughout the national herd.

There are certain areas we certainly need to address. One is the fact the skin test is not accurate. Is the blood test accurate? Can we see the figures from the Department about how many animals have gone down with TB lesions in the factories? Could this information be given to the public? This is information the public needs to understand. How many animals have been tested and have gone down that have not shown lesions?Furthermore, the bovine classification encompasses deer as well. A deer is a bovine. We are testing farmed deer in this country. What percentage of our wild deer carry TB? Have we got results and figures on that? Could we get them presented to the House?