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Culling of badgers in areas with high levels of bovine tuberculosis (TB), introducing capped compensation for pedigree and non-pedigree TB reactors, changes to testing and requirements for better on-farm biosecurity have been recommended to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to tackle bovine TB in Northern Ireland.
The recommendations were made by the TB Strategic Partnership Group (TBSPG) on Thursday in a report that sets out to eradicate TB in Northern Ireland over the next 40 years. The five independent members of the group were appointed by former Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill in 2014 to develop a strategy to reduce and eventually eradicate TB.
Culling of all badgers in a core zone around 100 sq km (circle of around 6km radius) is recommended in the report. To prevent infected badgers moving in afterwards to the cull zone, known as the perturbation effect, culling of TB test positive badgers and vaccinating of negative badgers should take place in a buffer zone 1,500m around the outside of the core zone.
Speaking at press briefing, TBSPG chair Sean Hogan said that it made no sense removing infected cattle in an area while a proven reservoir of TB remains in the area in wildlife. A research badger vaccination programme has been ongoing in Co Down since 2014. However, Hogan said: “Vaccination will not substantially reduce TB infection in an area in the short term.”
Compensation
The group have also recommended that compensation paid to farmers for non-pedigree TB reactor animals is capped at £1,500 and at £1,800 for pedigree animals. All pedigree animals will be given a 20% bonus on their standard commercial value as they stand meaning specific pedigree breeding lines would not be taken into account.
Herd keepers can receive compensation for one pedigree bull per year up to a maximum of £3,500 with no carry over from one year to the next.
It is noteworthy that farmer funding of the TB eradication programme through levies or paying for annual herd tests, as suggested in the TBSPG interim report last year, are not recommended.
However, all money saved from capped compensation payments is to be invested in the programme meaning some farmers will pay indirectly for programme delivery and the report states that “a reduction in percentage of compensation paid” should be considered in the future.
A package, not a menu
Hogan pointed out that the 38 recommendations made by the group to DAERA were “a package and not a menu” meaning some points of the report should not be implemented with others rejected. “We need something different if we want a different result. The current programme will not eradicate TB,” he said.
The most recent herd incidence rate in NI available for the end of September stands at 7.12% and local reports suggest there has been an increase in herd breakdowns in certain areas recently. The current eradication programme costs between £27m to £29m each year.
The group estimate that over the next 40 years the current programme will cost £1.055bn at current prices, whereas the proposed scheme will cost £845m. However, the recommendations require an initial investment of around £240m and the cost projection assumes that TB incidence increases as more reactors are taken out initially and then reduces sharply.
Testing
The initial rise is due to the recommendation for wider use of “severe interpretation” when reading skin tests and that animals in breakdown herds that are inconclusive from the skin test are to be removed.
Increasing the use of the gamma interferon testing from around 16,000 animals per year to 24,000 animals is also recommended, as well as treating all positive animals from this test as reactors. Stopping restocking of breakdown herds after the first retest is recommended and setting up of closed finishing units for animals from TB breakdown herds is mentioned in the report.
A large focus of the report is on changing stakeholder attitudes towards TB. There is an emphasis on on-farm biosecurity through advice to farmers from DAERA and private vets and that “statutory improvement notices” should be issued if biosecurity improvements are not made.
It is recommended that the eradication programme across NI is governed by a partnership of stakeholders as well as regional partnerships and local disease response teams. The group also want promotion of information surrounding TB history of herds, however data protection laws mean that statutory information displayed in marts is not allowed.
Reaction
DAERA Minister Michelle McIlveen has said that she will consult on the new approach to eradicating TB next year. “I intend to consider carefully the TBSPG strategy in full. I have asked my officials to examine the proposed recommendations in detail and have tasked them to bring forward options for my consideration,” she said.
Ulster Farmers’ Union president Barclay Bell said that the UFU liked elements of the plan relating to tackling the wildlife issue and governance of the programme, but added that the union had concerns with plans for breakdown farms.
Listen to an interview with TBSPG member John Thompson below:
Listen to “John Thompson on NI action plan for TB” on Spreaker.
Difficult decisions lie ahead on bovine TB
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