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Almost 6,000 cattle herds around the country are currently locked up with TB, new figures from the Department of Agriculture show.
As of 27 October 2024, some 5,906 herds are restricted - up from 4,914 herds for the same time last year.
The number of reactors on farms has surged from 26,581 in 2023 to 39,339 in the year up to last week, while herd incidence now stands at 5.81%.
The highest number of new restrictions in the last 12 months are around the borders of Meath, Louth, Monaghan and Cavan, with other pockets in Cork, Limerick and Kilkenny.
The figures were presented at an Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) meeting on TB in Tuam on Wednesday night. IFA animal health chair TJ Maher said that the increase is fairly significant.
“As of today, there has been a 50% increase in reactors in 12 months. This is very concerning for you as farmers. TB is an expensive business, not just for farmers, but for the state as a whole,” he said.
He outlined that there has been a 64% increase in on-farm market valuation compensation payments as a result of more reactors and a higher value of livestock.
As of today, there has been a 50% increase in reactors in 12 months
Total compensation payments are up 62% year on year, he added.
More reactors are being identified on farms, but he said that the number of tests haven’t increased significantly.
Forestry clearfell
“The Department are doing quite a number of research programmes. There was one presented to us today on the whole ecology of the badger and how its involvement is playing out,” Maher said.
“Interestingly, the study presented today highlighted that in areas where there was clearfell, over the next three years there is an increase of TB in that area.
“If the farm is in the middle where the clearfell occurs, the neighbours right around the clearfell don’t have an immediate risk, but it’s the neighbours a kilometre away that have the bigger risk. Three years later it comes back. That makes sense if you think about it.
“If you clear forestry, you’re driving all the badgers out of that area, they stay moving and they settle two or three kilometres away. There’s wildlife disturbance - there’s badgers fighting, there’s badgers stressed, they breakdown with TB and then it moves back.
"In two or three years' time, the badger setts are empty over there. The population has increased and there is available food, so they are moving back.”
If you clear forestry, you’re driving all the badgers out of that area
Maher said that many farmers will have seen this happen.
“The same happens with infrastructural development where roads go through. Twelve months after a road goes through and TB increases in the area because the wildlife if disturbed,” he said.
Cattle vaccination
The Tipperary man said that farmers often ask why cattle can’t be vaccinated for TB.
“The reality is if we vaccinate the cattle, that’s the end of animal movement for this country, because there is no marker test available at the moment.
“What do I mean by marker test? The marker can’t differentiate between a vaccinated animal and an infected animal.
“But we do need more research into it, because, ultimately, we’re going to have to try and do things different and we are pushing for more money to be invested there,” he said.
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