The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) confirmed yesterday that the European Commission had approved NI’s application for Officially Brucellosis Free (OBF) status and that controlled reduction of the brucellosis eradication programme would begin once official publication of the decision is made by the Commission.

Approval of the OBF application was given at the European Commission’s Standing Committee for Plants, Animals, Food and Feed on Wednesday (8 September) and the status will become official when it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill welcomed the news, saying: “Official freedom is a remarkable achievement considering the grip that brucellosis had on the farming community just a few years ago.”

DARD applied to the European Commission for OBF in March. The last case of brucellosis in NI was on 28 February 2012.

Some aspects of the eradication programme have been reduced since June, such as routine testing for beef herds from annual testing to once every two years.

The minister praised the role farmers and stakeholders had in the eradication of the disease. She said: “European Commission-approval of our brucellosis-free status signals that the partnership approach that has been adopted in dealing with this devastating disease has worked.”

Deputy chief veterinary officer Colin Hart welcomed the development of OBF status to NI, but warned that the industry must continue to avoid complacency.

“It is essential that farmers maintain their efforts to achieve excellent biosecurity standards and adopt appropriate stock replacement policies,” he said.

To ensure continuing disease freedom, a surveillance testing programme must continue for five years after OBF status is granted under the EU trade directive.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that an announcement is expected soon in the Republic to discontinue pre-movement testing of all breeding animals for brucellosis, to coincide with testing changes being implemented in Northern Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland obtained OBF status in 2009.