Danny Healy-Rae: Deer and badgers are driving TB crisis
Danny Healy-Rae told a committee that deer and badgers are causing bovine TB outbreaks on farms and urged urgent action to protect farmers. He criticised long testing delays, described specific farm cases and called for wildlife vaccination or control to stop repeated herd breakdowns.
Main claims
He framed TB as a longstanding testing issue that has worsened because deer and badgers are moving into farmland. He said deer are now commonly seen near villages and town edges and argued that wildlife are the clear source of repeat herd breakdowns.
Testing delays and farm impacts
He criticised slow laboratory turnaround times and lengthy movement restrictions, citing a milking farmer who waited months for test results and other cases where farmers faced repeated lock‑ups. He warned that calves have no housing and that delays in results and movement rules are placing heavy burdens on small producers.
Wildlife and on‑farm measures
He recounted a case of a small milker who claimed to have kept badgers off his land and avoided breakdowns, saying that in one year the man dealt with 111 badgers. He maintained he did not condone illegal action but insisted wildlife must be vaccinated or controlled to stop continued losses for farmers.
Opposition to opening farmland and closing plea
He rejected a proposal to open all farmland to walkers, arguing it risks spreading disease between farms and bringing dogs that could disturb livestock. He closed by urging decisionmakers to acknowledge farmers' distress and to take practical measures on deer and badger control to relieve pressure on the sector.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Thank you very much Chairman for the opportunity and thanks to all the witnesses that have come in here and it's been a very interesting debate and it's very interesting to listen to all your angles and all your take on it but I suppose my question is like TB testing has been going on since I was a young fella anyway and that's quite a while ago and we did succeed in in getting rid of the waterbill fly eradication we succeeded with the russolosis and like other countries have practically got rid of almost got rid of TB but it's worrying what's happening now here and it's very clear it's very clear that it's the deer and the badgers that are causing the problem and you see the deers after moving into farms before they were in the national path before they were out the top of the mountains but they're practically inside now village now you could go over the road many in the morning and there'll be a deer killed by a car over and just outside the top of my limit just at the top of my limit that's all and they're inside around the town in Killarney and and like something has to be done about that and it's time now because like nothing of recognition is being given to the upset that this is causing to farmers and I have a number of farmers there and there was one man and he was locked up and he was locked up and he got clear and after 10 months he's locked up again and then I have Tim a constituent of mine a milking man and he saw six cows the other day in the mat and one of them killed out with lesions but now they're telling him uh that he won't uh that he won't uh that he won't uh that he won't be tested for two months or that he won't get the result back I mean and then at the same time he says his father went down 40 years ago the lorry came and took the the offending animals two days later he was tested I mean there's more lab laboratories now and there's more testing ability surely it shouldn't take uh 60 days days to come back with with a definite result and that he can't be tested till then I mean and and and I I I think Thomas mentioned about the young cattle and the calves this man now is going to be larded with 60 calves that he no housing for just February they won't they can't go to the field till till me to be honest don't know where they they they it poured in carry yesterday and for the grandest day ever here we get a different we have a different climate don't don't there you know so um it's it's it's it's it's a different model let alone uh so um so um so I mean something needs to be done to help the likes of that to help the likes of that man he saved 20 that with 20 000 reactors and 4 000 heads I mean that that's massive that's massive and I'm sure that if if something was done with the deer and the badgers and I'll just give you another example of another family he was in the side he was a small milky man inside in the middle of other bigger dairy farmers they kept going down continuously uh they might get clear for a bit they go down again and they get clear again and go down again this man inside in the middle of them never went down and I'll tell you why and maybe it was illegal what he doing he stopped the badgers of coming in he dealt with the badgers and in one year he dealt with 111 in the small they were small they were big and different but he had a coat 100 so that proves that the badgers are causing the problem now no I don't condone that and I'm asking that they be either vaccinated or called properly but they can't be continuously keeping this thing going farmers backs are broken their hands are broken trying to to to maneuver and help is very scarce and who know that chair chair chairman so I look there was a mention there made about uh this uh thrill seeker that said that uh all farmers should be opened up to uh walkers and and then that that the whole of Ireland should be opened up no I I I don't I don't approve of that suggestion when you see what's happening with with the deal that that these fellows could go from one farm to the next farm and and and and and and without any control and that they could wander around and and and what I'll say to you I bet you will fall into his house even electric gate most likely and who won't get inside that and he's the very same man that wants to to to open up the country and spread disease and do what he like and maybe bring an old uh dog with him or something that it hunt sheep or there are I mean them ridiculous kind of suggestions and statements I I know that you chairman wouldn't approve of that and I know that any of these witnesses here and these and look again I say to him um I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to listen to him I came in here the very minute I knew he he were here and um that I knew he were here and I appreciate everything and the the good I I know that he he would mean to have on the farmer side and and I appreciate you very much and look uh any help are that I can give and and and and and to fight for to do something about the deer the deer are fine with nothing nothing against deer but they must go up the hills away out of the farmers fields and let the farmers farm and and and and because things are tough enough look at the fertilizer look at everything okay but the testing is is um is it has to stop somewhere okay
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
