Proposals put forward by the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris, to cut stock valuations for TB reactor cattle would amount to “nothing short of theft”, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has warned.
According to the UFU the Northern Ireland Secretary of State has “instructed” the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to publish official proposals in relation to TB payments.
The UFU has repeatedly highlighted that there should be “no cuts to the value of livestock removed from farms that have gone down with TB”.
Four months ago the UFU warned DAERA that “stock valuations are not compensation” and that the cattle were not being removed by “choice”, but because there was no other alternative.
Now the organisation’s deputy president John McLenaghan, believes the move by Heaton-Harris to publish proposals on TB valuations, “is an attempt to help stabilise public finances”.
But McLenaghan said: “Our farmers will not tolerate any reduction in payments, especially when we are in this situation due to the shortcomings of our government.
“Incidence levels of TB in Northern Ireland are at a record high because of DAERA’s inability to implement an effective eradication strategy which has been ongoing for generations.”
He said that incidence levels of TB in Northern Ireland are at a record high “because of DAERA’s inability to implement an effective eradication strategy” which according to the UFU has been going on for generations.
The UFU deputy president said that a new strategy to eradicate TB in Northern Ireland was launched back in 2022 by the DAERA minister at that time – Edwin Poots.
The UFU said that Poots stated that a review of the compensation arrangements “would only be considered after the implementation of the strategy”.
According to McLenaghan his organisation has continued to highlight that farmers in Northern Ireland “have never received any compensation for loss of production, and that they are solely paid for the market value of their animals”.
He added: “The value of every single reactor is agreed on by DAERA staff.
“For that reason, our members already carry a significant financial burden when the disease comes to their herd and the UFU remain firmly opposed to these barbaric proposals.”
The UFU has now accused DAERA of doing a “u-turn” on some of the measures that were meant to be put in place as a result of the revised TB strategy.
The organisation’s deputy president has also said that the Northern Ireland Secretary of State should “remember that these cattle are the property of our farmers and the reason why they continue to become infected with the disease is largely because of DAERA’s inaction”.
He added: “They are not a public good that can be devalued to make up a budget deficit.
“To consider devaluing cattle’s worth after the animals have fallen victim to a disease that has become rampant in our region because of our department, is nothing short of theft.”
