Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 159: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the plans she has to review the practice whereby cattle must be within the period specified for the test for tuberculosis when they are being slaughtered; the reason for this practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31414/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The requirement that animals may be sent for slaughter only if they have been tested for TB within the previous 12 months is a necessary component of the Eradication Programme to ensure that individual animals do not go for prolonged periods without test and that the exposure pattern to TB within herds is regularly evaluated. While cattle are routinely tested for TB lesions at post mortem, cattle with TB do not present with lesions in the early stages of the disease and, in any event, it is often very difficult, for reasons relating to the location of lesions and the speed of the slaughter line, to detect lesions at post-mortem at meat plants. In view of this, the TB skin test is the optimum mechanism for detecting TB in herds and annual tuberculin testing provides essential epidemiological information. In addition, the design, operation and outcome of the Bovine TB Eradication Programme is subjected to routine scrutiny at EU level and Ireland's fulfilment of the terms of Directive 64/432/EEC, i.e. the Directive governing the trade in live animals is closely monitored. Ireland's ability to trade in live animals in EU and third country markets is contingent primarily on compliance with this Directive. Our EU partners consider that a credible Eradication Programme must be comprehensive and that all animals are subject to test at intervals determined by the national disease level — for Ireland this interval is 12 months and thus all herds and all animals must be tested annually.

In view of the foregoing, I believe that the practice of permitting only animals that are in test to be sent for slaughter is an essential element in our efforts aimed at preventing the spread of TB and protecting domestic and international trade and should be retained.