Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the criteria for the payment of veterinarian fees in respect of tuberculosis testing; the reason a person (details supplied) in County Offaly who is paying for tuberculosis testing does not have the right to choose his own veterinarian; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8494/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the existing arrangements for the disease eradication schemes, individual keepers are normally responsible for arranging annual herd tests, within timescales prescribed by the Department, with an authorised veterinary practitioner, and for payment of fees directly to the practitioner who conducted the test in respect of no more than one test per annum. In the case of a disease breakdown, the Department pays for the first test and any necessary second or subsequent test such as contiguous herd tests or reactor retests and the keeper ordinarily pays for the clearance test.

However, my Department is entitled under SI 308 of 1989 to decide whether a TB test should be conducted by the Department or by an authorised PVP nominated by the herd keeper. In view of the very serious nature of the breakdown, which has been ongoing since early 2004 in the herd of the person referred to, my Department has decided that it will conduct the next test — the second reactor retest. If the test is clear and no other evidence of tuberculosis is detected in the interim it is anticipated that the herd will be de-restricted and the farmer will be due to pay for the test.