A serious ramping-up of controls on animal movements is being sought by the ICMSA to curb the spread of TB.
A serious ramping-up of controls on animal movements is being sought by the ICMSA to curb the spread of TB.
In a move which has put the dairy farmer representative body at odds with other farm organisations, the ICMSA called for a raft of new restrictions in a submission to the TB Forum on Wednesday.
The ICMSA proposed that a maximum of two movements be allowed per TB test, that contract-reared dairy animals be pre-movement tested before returning to the home herd, and that far tighter movement controls be imposed on cattle dealers.
But the IFA disagreed with ICMSA’s demands, questioning if tighter restrictions on cattle movements were warranted.
Tighter wildlife controls and a move away from badger vaccination were sought by all the farm organisations.
The development of an effective and workable TB vaccination for cattle was identified as a possible long-term solution to the current disease problems by both the IFA and ICSA.
Among the other proposals made by the ICMSA were:
That breeding stock entering a breeding herd should have a 60-day pre-movement test.That the same rules on movement must apply to dealers as farmers.That post-movement testing be removed.A dedicated TB eradication plan be put in place for Wicklow.IFA submission
The IFA maintained that the badger vaccination programme had “failed spectacularly” and was costing farmers and the exchequer well over €200m annually.
The farm body said it had “huge concerns” regarding the level of staff resources being committed by the Department to TB eradication.
IFA seeks badger clampdownThe IFA called for:
Badger numbers to be reduced to 0.5 animals per square km in order to restrict the potential for badger-to-cattle TB transmission.The establishment of deer management units to reduce numbers in areas where there is a high prevalence of TB and where deer are present.The introduction of a compulsory pre-movement test for dairy cows entering herds.The Department to promote the use of TB resistant bulls.All suspect factory lesions to be assessed on histology or PCR tested to fast-track confirmation of the TB status of the animal. The ICSA said the “chronic underfunding” of the wildlife control programme must be addressed, with proper staffing and targeted badger and deer culling. It called on the Department to ensure reactors are removed within seven days of a positive test, rather the current 17-day average.
“TB compensation schemes must be regularly updated to reflect market prices and rising costs, and all regional veterinary offices must implement control measures consistently,” the ICSA said.
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