ICSA Animal Health and Welfare chair Hugh Farrell has made it clear that the regionalisation proposal regarding different TB rules for different regions was flatly rejected by ICSA and other farm organisations at the recent TB forum. “The proposal emanated from the TB Forum’s Scientific Working Group, based on a suggestion from the Department, but ICSA made it clear, both at a bi-lateral meeting – attended by ICSA, Department and scientific group members – and at the TB Forum that it was completely unworkable in an Irish context,” he said.

“In fact, there was no doubt at all at the TB Forum that this was not acceptable to the farming representatives. In our view, the chair of the TB Forum accepted the opposition and as far as we are concerned the proposal is already dead in the water.”

Mr Farrell was speaking toady (Nov 16) following media reporting on the proposal.

Continuing Mr Farrell said, “There has been a lot of frustration among farming representatives at the ‘it worked in Australia’ approach to TB eradication. There is no point in comparing apples with oranges. Irish farming is completely dependent on trade between western counties and eastern counties. There is no simplistic solution to the fact that fattening of cattle takes place mainly in midland and eastern counties and that the west of Ireland is predominantly more suited to sucklers and sheep.”

“While there are some limited areas in the west where cattle are finished, the dominant enterprise is sucklers and stores which invariably will end up on finishing farms which have drier ground and where crops and straw can be produced. The proposal fails to take account of this or the divergence in farm scale and fragmentation.” 

“Aside from the practical realities, ICSA could not accept a scenario where some farmers would be restricted in who they trade with even though they might currently be allowed to trade because of negative herd tests. This would put such farmers at a huge economic loss because their cattle would be devalued. In the absence of any guarantees that such losses would be compensated ICSA cannot accept regionalisation.”

Concluding Mr Farrell said, “The Department now needs to focus on the areas of agreement at the TB Forum particularly with regard to the wildlife programme as well as other implementation issues such as removing reactors on time.”

ENDS