Behind the closed door at the TB summit

The Department of Agriculture's proposals for the TB eradication programme are set to affect everyone — from farmers, to contract rearers, buyers, and sellers, no one is getting away with it

The department's proposals have been put in five categories: wildlife, biosecurity, detection and elimination, support TB-free herds, and reduce the impact of 'high-risk' animals.

A three-year rule forcing farmers to sell high-risk animals solely to factories or control finishing units is just one of the radical proposals put forward at the emergency TB summit on Thursday.

The emergency bovine TB summit called for by the minister for agriculture Martin Heydon took place last week and put forward revised proposals for additions and corrections to be made to the TB eradication programme in Ireland.