The presidential team of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), along with members of various livestock committees, has met DAERA chief vet, Brian Dooher to discuss his review into bovine TB.

Commenting after the meeting, UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said his organisation had pressed Dooher on the need for positive changes to be made to the current TB testing regime.

On the issue of wildlife intervention, he said Dooher had accepted it is “unavoidable”. His review has proposed using a Test-Vaccinate-Remove (TVR) approach in the first year within defined areas, which would then form the basis for a decision on whether to roll out a cull or move to vaccinating badgers. However, Dooher indicated, it would be 2026, at the earliest, before such a policy could be rolled out.

“Farmers are tired of prolonged timelines, and our members made that very clear to Mr Dooher and asked why more intensive measures, such as those successfully implemented in New Zealand, cannot be adopted now. They also raised concerns about who will bear the financial costs of TVR and who stands to benefit in the long term,” said Cuddy.

“While the UFU welcomes the CVO’s openness, the message from members is clear; action is needed now,” he added.