Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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842. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the process by which a badger cull can be initiated in cases in which there is a high instance of TB outbreak; if it is possible for a group of farmers in a locality to seek for a badger cull to be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1505/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Capturing of badgers only takes place in areas where serious outbreaks of TB have been identified in cattle herds and where my Department’s Veterinary Inspectorate has found, following an epidemiological examination, that badgers are the likely source of infection.

Commencing in 2002, systems were put in place in every Regional Veterinary Office area in the country whereby serious breakdowns of bTB (i.e. breakdowns having 3 or more skin test reactors) were investigated by my Department's Veterinary Inspectorate. If evidence was established of infection being introduced by badgers, this would trigger a survey in the area adjacent to the diseased herd for signs of badger activity and seek to identify the location of badger setts. A targeted removal program would follow the completion of these surveys which involved trapping/removing badgers within a 2km radius of the affected farm to reduce local badger densities.

Therefore, while a group of farmers in a locality cannot request a badger culling of the area, the Minister would encourage any such groups experiencing serious breakdowns of bTB to contact their local Regional Veterinary Office to ensure that an investigation by the state veterinarian has commenced where badgers have been identified as a source of bTB.