This is a subscriber-only article
The Department of Agriculture is yet to finalise a date for the expansion of the TB testing requirements for stock under 36 months.
In August 2022, the Department announced that tougher TB test rules would be implemented on cows of all ages, and males over the age of 36 months that are moving farm to farm or through a mart.
The TB Forum agreed to introduce these requirements on a phased basis from February 2023.
However, responding to a query from the Irish Farmers Journal, the Department of Agriculture said that “no decision on an implementation date for phase two” of the requirements has been made yet.
It is not clear if phase two will include all cattle for testing or if the regime will expand to other cattle in a separate age category.
The Department initially brought in the rules to comply with new European Union regulations regarding TB.
Six months
These animal health requirements also mean that livestock being traded must be moving from a herd that has been tested in the last six months.
If cattle do not fulfil both of these requirements, they must then be tested, either within the 30 days prior to movement or within 30 days after movement into the new herd.
Buyers who do not comply with these requirements face having their herd locked up.
In the 12 months to the end of June 2024, 32,677 reactors were identified in TB tests.
This is an increase of over 7,000 head on the same figure in 2023.
SHARING OPTIONS: