The two-year TVR programme is being funded by a Shared Island fund.
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A new cross-border bovine TB project will include a Test, Vaccinate and Remove (TVR) approach to wildlife intervention, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has said. This involves trapping badgers and testing them for TB, with positive cases culled and negative animals vaccinated for TB then released.
Minister Muir said the two-year TVR programme is being funded by a Shared Island fund from the Irish government and it will take place in a specific zone along the border.
“A regionalised approach has been proven to be successful in other parts of Europe, and we are pursuing that as well,” he told MLAs on Tuesday.
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Minister Muir made clear that other TB policies will be part of the project, including potentially testing all herds in the area every six months.
The DUP’s Michelle McIlveen appeared sceptical and pointed to reports that the project is earmarked for an area near Derry and Strabane where TB rates are already below average.
“Is the minister serious about wildlife intervention and eradicating TB, or is he in the business of kicking the can down the road and tying a future minister’s hands?” she said.
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A new cross-border bovine TB project will include a Test, Vaccinate and Remove (TVR) approach to wildlife intervention, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has said. This involves trapping badgers and testing them for TB, with positive cases culled and negative animals vaccinated for TB then released.
Minister Muir said the two-year TVR programme is being funded by a Shared Island fund from the Irish government and it will take place in a specific zone along the border.
“A regionalised approach has been proven to be successful in other parts of Europe, and we are pursuing that as well,” he told MLAs on Tuesday.
Minister Muir made clear that other TB policies will be part of the project, including potentially testing all herds in the area every six months.
The DUP’s Michelle McIlveen appeared sceptical and pointed to reports that the project is earmarked for an area near Derry and Strabane where TB rates are already below average.
“Is the minister serious about wildlife intervention and eradicating TB, or is he in the business of kicking the can down the road and tying a future minister’s hands?” she said.
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