Danny Healy-Rae demands urgent action on TB outbreaks

Thank you very much. Minister, I am glad to get the time to raise this very important matter about the spread of TB and the TB tuberculosis eradication scheme, which clearly is not working. We have more outbreaks now even after 46 or 47 years of testing. So many going down now in East Kerry, Mid Kerry, South Kerry and even our own Kilgarven, many farmers have gone down there, including our neighbour Mikey Joe Murphy, who is very local and who does everything right, never bought in any cows or animals, gives and does all he can to maintain and improve his herd. You look out Sunday morning at half of seven, his cows are going out of the parlour and in another half an hour you could see him topping or spreading fertiliser even on a Sunday. He is going around the clock at it and he had an outbreak last Friday week and 26 of his cows have gone down out of 66. And it is very hard for any farmer and especially someone like Mikey Joe who gives his full time and his farm income is his primary income to provide for his wife and family. He tells me that the compensation he will get is no way adequate for the type of cows that he had. An independent valourer said they were worth in excess of £4,500. He seems to think he will only get £3,150 now. The Department should know by now that the cost of cows and cattle has risen sharply in the last month. Meaning replacing the animals will cost much more. We hear Minister Hayden saying he has secured extra funding but what is this for? To cut the primary cost? I don't think so. But it seems to be the secondary issue of more testing and more disposing reactors. The number of reactors are going up steadily since 2018 even. There were 17,500 in that year and now they are up to 41,630. The question is that I have for you Minister, is it true that no calling of badgers has taken place in the last two years? Only vaccinating them. What good is vaccinating a badger that has TB? For many years the department has denied the fact that deer and badgers are the primary reason for the spread of the disease going unrestricted from farm to farm. Badgers and deer are travelling where they want to, when they want to and wherever they want. I know of one case Minister and I won't tell you where he is or who he is. He never went down and he was in the middle of four or five farmers that were constantly going down. They go down, they get clear and they're clear for a few years and they go down again. But in one year alone this smallish farmer, he's near the hungry and three badgers. He never went down. Big ones, small ones, baby badgers, a hundred and three, he got this boat called in one year alone. I'm asking you and the department to increase dramatically the calling of deer and badgers. The national parks who are around us and forestries, they are harbouring the deers in a big way and the farmers can't follow them into the, into those places. And we have to, if we have sheep, we must have a fence to keep in our sheep. A cattle fence won't do. I'm asking that these entities fence their places so that at least those territories are not, all these deer can't be coming out of them into the neighbouring farmers, spreading the disease. Thank you very much. First of all, I want to thank very sincerely Deputy Danny Healy-Ray for raising this very important issue for farmers in Kerry and throughout the country. And just to say that I would have your exact same concerns with regard to badgers and deer and their place in spreading this disease. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in bovine TB levels nationally causing an economic and emotional burden for farmers, their families and rural communities. Bovine TB is a difficult disease to control and eradicate, but it can and has been done in other countries. If we do not do something now, it will continue to affect more and more farmers and their families throughout rural Ireland. In 2024, over 6,000 farm families were affected by a TB outbreak and a herd incidence of over 6%. As about the 23rd of November 25, on a 12-month basis, herd instances have fallen below 6% nationally and is 5.9% in Kerry, which of course is too much. One of Minister Hayden's key priorities has been to address and review the bovine TB programme to tackle disease levels. Over time, our understanding of TB has increased and evolved and research has shown that our current approach to addressing disease levels on its own was not enough to control and ultimately eradicate TB. So you are correct. Earlier this year, Minister Hayden has had extensive engagement with stakeholders and family organisations to agree measures to tackle the current disease levels and in June received the support of government to introduce additional measures to the bovine TB programme. On the 9th of September, Minister Hayden launched the bovine TB action plan addressing bovine TB in Ireland. There are five measures and 30 actions underpinned by scientific research, evidence and veterinary expertise in this action plan. One, to support herds free of bovine TB to remain free. Two, to reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of bovine TB, which is what you're talking about. Three, to detect and eliminate bovine TB infection as early as possible in herds and with a bovine TB breakdown and avoid a future breakdown. Four, to help farmers improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity and five, to reduce the impact of known high-risk animals in spreading bovine TB and this includes badgers and of course deer. Bovine TB is not a new challenge for farmers, their families and rural communities, but engagement with farmers and all stakeholders tells me that there is an appetite for change to address the current disease levels. However, these changes will need to be supported and implemented by everyone to have an effect on the current disease levels throughout the country. This action plan is one of the single largest resets of the TB program since its inception and the Minister and I believe these changes are vital to protect farm families throughout the country from TB. Minister Hayden is committed to ongoing constructive engagement with all farmers and stakeholders as it is vital that all involved in the program continue to work together to protect farmers from TB. The Minister and I believe that by continuing to build TB policies on a foundation of science and veterinary-based advice which farmers can act on to reduce risks, we can together focus our efforts to protect cattle from infection and farmers from the stress, uncertainty and the costs of a breakdown. And, of course, to also acknowledge what you stated earlier on, which is correct, and that is the fact that the whole way that people are compensated, if you take current prices, it is something that I have great concerns over myself, it is not reflecting what cattle are making at the mart, and if you take cases like our neighbour Mikey Joe, it is putting people at an awful unfair financial disadvantage when they have an outbreak, and that is something that is something that is something that is of great concern, obviously to you, and I thank you again on behalf of the Department for raising this, on behalf of Kerry farmers, and on behalf of farmers throughout the country. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Minister, for your reply, and I do agree with you, Minister, and it is very clear that we and the Department are not doing enough, and if we keep going the way we are going or have gone for the 46 years, whoever will be here in 50 years' time, it will be the same story if we don't change something. I mean, there is no point in the world going around vaccinating badgers, we don't know whether they had TB, or whether they were infected with it already, or what the story was. The fact is they need to be cold, and I was getting to the point where the big infestation of deer is in the 26,000 acres of National Park, and they are able to roam from there all through East Kerry. Now they have spread, and indeed the state forestries, and the private forestries, and like I said, we must fence in our own lands to keep in off the road, and that is the other thing, to keep our animals in off the road and stop them going to the neighbours. But the damage that they are doing to cars and people on the road as well, that has to be considered. Sadly, we had five, seven people killed in the last two weeks, very sad, up the country. But it doesn't matter how you are killed, if it is by a deer, or by another vehicle or whatever, you are dead in anyway. So, look, I am saying to you, the other question I have to ask Minister, is when they go down on the skin test, and then we are told that when they are slaughtered inside in the factory, that they are clear, and that there are no lesions or whatever. How is that Minister? That needs to be explained to farmers, because it is terrible. Whenever a farmer like Mikey Joe probably has a name in every cow that he has, and when they come in to be milked twice a day, he knows the name. He knows the name, and you see, didn't he hear that such a cow went down, and he doesn't get to know, but he knows, he will know, that many of them will be turned out clean when they are slaughtered. That's devastating for farmers, and they can't understand it. Look, the other thing is, we rarely hear now of an inconclusive animal. It seems to be down, and the numbers are getting bigger, like before it would just be one, two or three. But now, a fellow with 60 cows, 26 cows down. I am sorry. Thank you very much, Deputy. And on the names of cows, you may remember that our late father had a cow, and he called her Thatcher, for some reason all in on to himself. Current TB levels are leading to stress for farmers who have had a bovine TB outbreak, and for those who are living in fear of having TB outbreaks, who are worried about the impact it would have on their livelihoods. We need to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to reduce disease levels and ultimately take the stress associated with bovine TB out of farmers' lives. The aim of the action plan is to reset the BTB programme in the context of putting in place measures necessary to tackle the current disease situation throughout the country. These measures are targeted both transmission between wildlife and cattle, and transmission between cattle. Some of the measures will be introduced immediately in terms of communication and engagement with farmers, and some will be introduced over the coming months into 2026. Some of these measures require work on IT systems, which is being prioritised and which will be rolled out in the coming months. Farmers and all stakeholders will be notified in advance of any changes to the TB programme through communication campaigns. The bovine TB Eradication Programme has secured an increased budget allocation in 2026, providing a total of €157 million. This additional funding is vital in addressing the disease, and I am confident it will help drive down the instances of bovine TB levels in future years, through the implementation of the new measures in the action plan. I and the Minister believe that it is vital that the cost of this disease is reduced for all the coming years. This budget allocation will support and enable farm families who are currently dealing with the stress of a BTB outbreak to navigate a way out of the BTB restrictions, and protect those herds currently free from BTB from the stress of a TB outbreak. I just want to once again very strongly reiterate Minister Hayden's personal commitment to making sure that during his tenure as Minister for Agriculture, that he, the Department and all of us will work together in reducing the TB outbreaks. I again thank Deputy Danny Healy-Rae for raising this most important matter on behalf of the people of County Kerry. We move to Topical Issue No. 5 now in the name of Deputy Rory. 64 June 15, dal C9 2014,