Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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741. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) is entitled to have livestock retested via skin test prior to their herd being restricted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47581/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Where a herd owner chooses not to slaughter an inconclusive reactor current TB policy is to carry out a gamma interferon test on it 7 to 30 days after the TB skin test on which it was disclosed. A blood test was carried out on animal IE 161414760061 on 23rd August 2021 in the herd of the person named after the various options were discussed with him. The animal in question was confirmed positive to TB on foot of the blood test and in accordance with policy, this animal must now be removed as a TB reactor.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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742. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the course of action available to farmers with regard to subsequent retesting in the event that an inconclusive result is returned from a routine bTB test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47582/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Initially a herd is restricted where an inconclusive result is disclosed. There are three courses of actions available to farmers as follows:

The animal can be retained in the herd but it will be subject to a gamma interferon blood test between seven and thirty days later. If the animal fails this blood test, it will be removed as a reactor. If the animal passes the blood test, it may remain in the herd but will be skin tested sixty days later. If it fails the skin test, it will be removed as a reactor. If it passes the skin test, the restriction on the herd is lifted. The animal is then subject to a blood test every six months - which it must pass – otherwise, it will be removed as a reactor. In this option, the animal is restricted to the herd for life and can only move to slaughter.

or

the animal is slaughtered and a gross post-mortem (PM) examination of the carcass is undertaken. If there is no visible lesion at the PM, the herd is skin tested sixty days after the animal is slaughtered. If the herd passes this test, the restriction is lifted.

or

the animal is slaughtered and a post-mortem and a laboratory examination of the carcass is undertaken. If the result of these examinations is negative for bTB, the restriction on the herd is lifted. If the results are positive, the herd must pass two consecutive skin tests before the restriction is lifted.

The options above are detailed in the letter issued to each farmer following an inconclusive result from a routine bTB test.