There were mixed views at an ICMSA meeting in Cork on whether TB status should be available on mart boards, where a Department of Agriculture official raised the issue of publicising the TB status of herds.
Addressing the meeting, senior superintending veterinary inspector at the Department of Agriculture Eoin Ryan asked the crowd if it was fair for other farmers to potentially buy in a TB problem.
“If a young farmer is expanding and takes out a loan to buy 20 heifers, well I can look up on my computer system to see what the history of the herd they are buying from is and I might know there will be a potential TB breakdown, but I can’t tell the purchaser. Is that right? Is it fair?” Ryan said.
The Department representatives also said that research is under way to see if there is a correlation between clear felling licenses for forestry and TB outbreaks.
Listen to "ICMSA TB meeting Macroom" on Spreaker.
TB in Cork
The number of restricted herds in Cork at the end of October 2018 was 252.
These were made up of 172 herds in Cork north, while Cork south has 82 currently restricted due to TB.
Cork north has seen a 1.07% increase between 2017 and 2018, while Cork south reactor numbers fell 1.33%.
Blind eye turned by Department to deer and TB unacceptable - ICSA