The latest review into bovine TB could lead to another long delay before the disease burden in wildlife is addressed, the president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said.

Speaking at Stormont last Thursday, William Irvine said a new report contains “a possible route” to wildlife intervention, but suggested it might not happen before the next Assembly election in 2027.

“We can see the situation where a new minister will say ‘we need to review everything’ and the whole merry-go-round starts again, with no actual significant progress,” he said.

The latest proposal from NI chief vet Brian Dooher is that a Test: Vaccinate: Remove (TVR) approach to wildlife intervention is initially used in TB hotspot areas.

This involves trapping badgers to test them for TB, with infected badgers culled and healthy animals vaccinated and released.

Dooher suggests a short non-selective cull of badgers could be carried out if TB rates are found to be high, or if infection rates are low, a vaccination programme could be used instead.

However, Irvine described a TVR trial which was conducted in Co Down from 2014 to 2018 as “horrendously expensive”.

“Unless there is more money coming from somewhere, I don’t see how TVR can be relevant in this situation.

“The clear scientific evidence at the minute states that TVR will not have any significant impact at our current level of infection,” Irvine told Stormont’s agriculture committee.

Alliance MLA John Blair pointed out that the Dooher review also contained recommendations about biosecurity and cattle movement on farms, and he questioned if there was too much focus on wildlife.

“I agree it will take a range of measures to address TB, but we want to see movement on all issues at the same time,” Irvine responded.

Improved mood music from Muir

Recent comments from Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir about the current standstill relating to planning permission for farm sheds, have been welcomed by the UFU.

At Stormont last week, UFU deputy president John McLenaghan said a new letter from the minister to the union “has changed the scene slightly” and “is to be appreciated”.

McLenaghan said the letter is about arranging a meeting to find solutions to planning rules for replacement farm buildings that will lower ammonia emissions.

MLAs were told that the minister also wants to discuss “responsible, sustainable, regulated development” for new farm buildings.

“There is a recognition there that farmers should be allowed to put in place those improvements which will be better for livestock, the environment, their own health and productivity,” McLenaghan said.