The number of cattle testing positive for TB came to 40,927 in the year up 31 August, a decrease on the 41,682 that had been identified as reactors in the 2024 calendar year, according to Department of Agriculture figures provided to the Irish Farmers Journal.

The two regional veterinary office districts with the highest number of reactors identified during tests in 2024 were Cork south and Cork north, which saw respective reactor declines of 19% and 8% when the year up to August is compared to last year’s results.

Tipperary north’s reactor numbers declined by 36% – or by almost 1,400 cattle – over the same window of comparison, while Limerick’s reactor numbers also decreased by over one-third, equating to 800 fewer reactors in the county.

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Fewer reactors were also identified in Wicklow west and Co Wexford.

However, other counties witnessed a sharp rise in reactor numbers between 2024 and the year up to 31 August.

Among these are Kerry and Galway, which saw an additional 1,629 reactors going down between the two counties alone, as reactors there jumped a respective 37% and 36% over the two timeframes compared.

Carlow witnessed a 120% increase in reactor numbers, but still represents a small proportion of the country’s overall reactors, while 30% more cattle went down in Waterford and over a quarter more did in Dublin and Wicklow west.

Nationally, reactor numbers bottomed out in 2015 before embarking on a upwards trajectory in seven out of the past nine years to exceed 41,600 as last year drew to a close.

The current numbers of reactors going down on an annual basis are on par with those recorded in 2000, when there were significantly more herds restricted than there is now.

The Department’s top veterinary officials expect that the revamped TB plan unveiled earlier this month will push reactor numbers upwards as testing requirements increase.