TB hits cattle in east Wicklow

EAST Wicklow has become a bovine TB blackspot, with more than three times the national average for reactors.

According to Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith, the region has eight reactors per thousand tests, well above the national average of 2.5. “This is partly due to the fact that the region has experienced a number of very large breakdowns, with one herd alone disclosing 121 reactors.

In addition, 56% of the reactors in the region came from just 11 herds, and eight of those herds involved breakdowns that disclosed more than 20 reactors.”