Written answers

Thursday, 25 January 2018

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Bovine Disease Controls

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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162. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a matter (details supplied) regarding the testing of deer for tuberculosis will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3720/18]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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 The responsibility for the management of wild deer on public lands and the issuing of hunting licences to hunters and others lies with the Minister for the Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (DAHRRGA) under the Wildlife Acts. In addition, control of deer on private property is the responsibility of landowners.  Of course, landowners who have concerns regarding deer may engage in hunting deer during the annual open season subject to securing appropriate licences.  Permissions under Section 42 of the Wildlife Acts, offer a facility outside of the annual open season whereby a person can obtain a permit, on a case-by-case basis, to prevent serious damage caused by individual deer on specific lands.  Permissions are issued by DAHRRGA where there is evidence of such damage.

My Department does conduct post-mortems of deer primarily for Veterinary Public Health reasons under EU Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 laying down rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption.  In that respect, submissions are typically received involving a set of lungs or a head +/- lungs and in 2017 tissues were received as routine submissions from 101 wild deer, of which culture results are pending for 24 and of the 77 deer for which testing is complete, Mycobacterium bovis has been isolated from 14.  The county breakdown for culture positive deer is Wexford (4), Wicklow (7), Waterford (1), Dublin (1) and Cork (1).  I am informed that there have not been any submissions from wild deer in Kerry in 2015, 2016 or 2017. 

The Deputy should be aware that no definitive link has been established between deer and TB outbreaks on farms.  Research has demonstrated that the primary underlying drivers of bovine TB in Ireland are its spread within cattle populations, its spread within badger populations and cross-infection between these two populations.  Therefore, as part of its TB Eradication Strategy my Department operates a wildlife programme which involves reducing the badger populations in infected areas, where badgers are deemed to be a risk factor, and vaccination of badgers now forms part of that programme.  This Strategy is achieving results, given that there has been a significant improvement in the disease situation in Ireland where the incidence of TB in cattle has fallen by almost 40% since 2008 and is currently at record low levels.   However given trends such as that in Kerry where herd incidence has risen from 2.06% this time last year to 4.08% which is higher than the national average of 2.58%, we cannot be complacent.  My Department is continuing to seek the best methods available to assist in reaching our goal of eradicating TB by 2030. 

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