Northern Ireland’s chief veterinary officer (CVO), Brian Dooher has met with the new bovine tuberculosis (TB) partnership steering group for the first time to explore policy proposals aimed at eradicating the disease.
The group consists of stakeholders from across farming, industry, environmental and veterinary communities, and was established by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) as per the CVO’s recommendation following his review of the TB situation in NI.
The review was published in November 2024 and contained 40 proposals aimed at reducing and eliminating the disease.
Speaking of the establishment of the group ahead of its first meeting, Minister Andrew Muir said: “When I received Dooher’s report in 2024, I immediately instructed my officials to establish a new government and industry body to consider the 40 proposals contained within the report and produce a delivery plan for my consideration as quickly as possible.
“The group will firstly focus on identifying the immediate priorities for action and the steps needed to put them in place. It will then work through the remaining proposals and report to me by the end of March.
“There is no time to spare on this important issue. I am determined to form a strong partnership with all those affected by this disease and move swiftly to deliver solutions that eradicate TB once and for all.
“I look forward to receiving the TB Partnership Steering Group’s report by the end of March and will make an announcement on next steps as soon as possible thereafter.”
The group comprised members from the following organisations:
- Association of Veterinary Surgeons Practising in Northern Ireland;
- Dairy Council for Northern Ireland;
- Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers’ Association;
- Northern Ireland Badger Group;
- Northern Ireland Livestock Auctioneers’ Association;
- North of Ireland Veterinary Association;
- Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU);
- Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA);
- Ulster Wildlife;
- Public Health Agency;
- Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC);
- Northern Ireland Meat Exporters’ Association.
According to the CVO, the various backgrounds and professions represented in the group is designed to facilitate “a unique coalition” of expertise to bolster the means of eradication.
He urged the government to engage with the group when planning future policies and control regimes.
According to a new report entitled ‘Finding the Box-Top: Addressing the human cost of TB’ published by The Farming Community yesterday (Tuesday, January 28), the TB notification rate in NI was 3.5/100,000 in 2022, compared to 2.2 in Wales and 7.7 in England.
The report also found that the herd prevalence of TB in NI stood at 12.4% in 2017, which is higher than the average 4.6% reported in Ireland but lower than the rate of 20.4% reported in England.
Due to the predominance of small scale farms in NI, with 25,000 farms categorised as “very small”, the region is reportedly more exposed to the impacts of TB as a result of the relatively small profit margins garnered to recover from potential or actual TB outbreaks.
