Mart managers hit out at TB proposals to restrict cattle trade

Mart managers and farming organisations have warned that restricting the cattle trade would penalise farmers without tackling wildlife sources of TB.

Noel Bardon

22 November 2023

Mart managers hit out at TB proposals to restrict cattle trade

The Department has come under criticism for raising the possibility of new TB trading restrictions, while failing to up the ante on wildlife control. \ Philip Doyle

Stakeholders have heaped heavy criticism on the Department of Agriculture for raising the possibility of pursuing a regional approach to TB eradication.If adopted, the move could result in different cattle movement and testing rules around the country.

Stakeholders have heaped heavy criticism on the Department of Agriculture for raising the possibility of pursuing a regional approach to TB eradication.

If adopted, the move could result in different cattle movement and testing rules around the country.

Manager of Tullow Mart, Eric Driver, has stated that there must be more engagement with European countries which have had success in eradicating TB.

Cattle ‘devalued’

He warned regional rules could see cattle devalued on the basis of a farm address, while failing to make a real impact on TB eradication.

“It is extremely disappointing to see this being talked about in the Department – it would only distort the cattle trade and put farmer against farmer,” Driver said.

“The Department is looking for cop-outs to park the problem at the farmer’s door, instead of grabbing the bull by the horns and looking outside of agriculture to eradicate TB.”

Differentiating TB risk by area and imposing restrictions on cattle trading between these areas is “unworkable and unfair”, according to Martin McNamara, manager of Clare Marts.

“It could see all farmers in a county restricted in trading live animals as a result of just a few isolated instances of TB within a particular county,” McNamara commented.

“Being placed in a [high risk] zone would put a herd at a severe disadvantage, which is totally unjustified if the herd has all-clear test results.”

Both the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) have rejected the working group’s opinion as being unsuitable for Ireland, with both groups saying that the move would not see the same results in Ireland, as have been seen in other countries which used the approach.

Being placed in a [high risk] zone would put a herd at a severe disadvantage, which is totally unjustified if the herd has all-clear test results

The Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) stated that the scientific working group relied on Australia’s experience with TB regionalisation to back up its opinion, but this approach “effectively locked up some regions for many years” there.

“It would be grossly unfair to greatly restrict many farmers in a region with good TB history, just because a small number of individual herds have a TB problem,” ICOS said.

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