Big changes in store for farmers as EU and state money dries up for TB eradication

New rules have been introduced for cattle which test inconclusive

Under the new regulations, when TB is found in a herd, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) says cattle which previously tested inconclusive in the herd should be removed as in-contacts, with compensation payable.

Fears that the EU could pull its funding completely in 2021 for bovine TB eradication which costs €92 million per year in Ireland mean that the scheme is going to get tougher for farmers.

This will come as no surprise to the farmers who sit in the TB Stakeholder Forum, which has submitted recommendations on additional policies to reduce bovine TB levels.