Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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433. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of TB detections for counties Cavan and Monaghan to date in 2016 in tabular form; the measures that are being taken to assist farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33428/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The following table details the herd incidence levels for TB and the numbers of reactors in the Cavan and Monaghan areas for the current year to 30 October 2016.

Herd incidence nationally stands at 3.12% at present.

The TB eradication programme includes comprehensive compensation arrangements designed to address both direct and indirect income losses experienced by herdowners when a herd is restricted and reactors are removed. My Department has recently carried out a full review of these arrangements. Following this review, the compensation arrangements have been enhanced as follows:

(i) the ceiling limits payable for reactor animals removed under the On Farm Market Valuation scheme have been increased,

(ii) the rates of payment under the Income Supplement for dairy cows have been substantially increased and special arrangements have been made for dairy herds to qualify for this scheme,

(iii) the 100 animal ceiling in the income supplement scheme has been abolished, and 

(iv) dairy herds now qualify for the Hardship Grant Schemes even when supplying milk.

I am satisfied that these measures assist farmers greatly in the event of at TB breakdown.