Membership Benefits

Exclusive Discounts for ICSA Members 

Join ICSA Today

An Association of Farmers for Farmers

TESTING BADGERS FOR TB MUST GO HAND IN HAND WITH MAPPING BADGER SETTS

Oct 16, 2020 | Latest News, Press Releases | 0 comments

ICSA-Logo-Email (4)

 

 

 

 

16 OCTOBER 2020

ICSA Animal Health & Welfare chair Hugh Farrell has said testing badgers for TB must go hand in hand with the push to map badger setts. “The Department of Agriculture is currently asking farmers for their assistance in mapping badger setts, and while it is important to know the location of badger setts on our farms, it is also important to know if these badger have TB or not,” he said.

“For too long the Department has told us there is no need to TB test badgers in large numbers. However, the practice of testing only a small number of badgers and then estimating a national prevalence rate is just not good enough. We are going to need more precise information in our fight against TB. This must involve testing more badgers and delivering greater accuracy around tracking the spread of the disease through badgers. It must also involve the flow of this information back to farmers.”

Mr Farrell said all additional efforts to reduce the spread of TB are to be welcomed and that farmers would play their part. “Everybody has to do their bit and I would advise all farmers to look view the advice issued by the Department on protecting their herds from the threat posed by badgers. However, advising farmers to fence off badger setts is all well and good but knowing if the badgers are diseased, and removing them if they are, is key to controlling the spread.”

Mr Farrell was critical of the push by the Department to limit the culling of badgers in favour of a vaccination programme. “The argument that a vaccination programme is as effective as a culling programme does not hold weight when we are constantly being informed that TB levels are rising. This is particularly relevant in areas like Monaghan and Offaly where the switch to vaccination has coincided with a marked increase in the number of reactors.”

Mr Farrell said he also expects scientific evidence confirm the fears of many farmers that deer populations are contributing to the problem. “The Department have been too slow to accept any responsibility in controlling the spread of TB through wild deer. However, farmers are more convinced than ever that they are also a key driver in the spread, and ICSA believes scientific evidence will soon bear this out.”

ENDS

Share Socially

All

Latest

CONVENING OF NFFSC MUST KICKSTART EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO WEATHER RELATED DIFFICULTIES FACING FARMERS

ICSA president Sean McNamara has said the convening of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) tomorrow must kick start an emergency response to the ongoing difficulties facing farmers amidst continuing heavy rainfall. “With any hope of an early spring well and truly dashed and any fodder reserves dwindling fast it is clear this committee needs to rapidly reassess the current situation on the ground, including the extent of the fodder shortages and the impact of continued wet weather on farming operations,” he said.

Livestock Prices

Latest