Farmers have been “left in the dark” when it comes to the IBR testing requirement in the new National Beef Welfare Scheme (NBWS), according to the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA).

ICSA animal health and welfare chair Hugh Farrell warned that “confusion reigns supreme in relation to a strategy for IBR” and that there is a lack of clarity around the implications of a positive test result.

“We have been discussing the need for a national programme on the Animal Health Ireland IBR implementation group for some time now. However, the new suckler scheme does not in our view represent a coherent step forward.

“Farmers have been left in the dark about the implications of a positive test. There is also a concern that money that was promised for the suckler farmer is now being used to fund a programme when we had been expecting that separate funding would be available for an IBR programme on the basis that dairy and suckler farmers would be treated the same. This is not now the case,” he explained.

Weanlings

Farrell said that farmers are concerned that a positive IBR test might affect their ability to export weanlings and that there could also possibly be implications for domestic sales.

Suckler farmers need more information on the IBR testing component of the new National Beef Welfare Scheme, said the ICSA. \ David Ruffles

He said that the potential cost of an annual vaccination programme is also unknown and that the ICSA has raised these issues in a recent meeting with the chair and CEO of Animal Health Ireland.

“The problem is that the closing date for the scheme is 12 September and suckler farmers still do not know what will happen to their herds if they turn up with a positive IBR result.

"We need clarity around this urgently. The Minister needs to engage with all the stakeholders on the IBR working group to look at the strategy in a more coherent way,” he said.

Extension

The ICSA animal health and welfare chair called for an extension to the deadline for the NBWS until the end of September.

“Farmers need clarity, which they haven’t received yet in relation to the IBR element of the new scheme.

“Also, there is an Animal Health Ireland IBR group meeting on 14 September. It would be far better if that meeting had a clear picture from the Minister on the long-term intentions regarding funding the IBR strategy, before farmers make a decision on the new scheme,” he said.