The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, has issued a letter this week to all herdowners advising them of important updates relating to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) testing requirements.

The new rules will come into effect on Monday, April 13, and will primarily impact farmers involved in contract rearing and farmers trading cows.

Both farmers and livestock marts have expressed concern to Agriland regarding the potential impact of the new rules on the trade for cows and the lack of understanding amongst farmers relating to the rules which are set to be implemented in less than two weeks' time.

The three key areas set to see changes under the new rules are:

Pre-movement testing;
Post-movement testing
Animal movements.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed to Agriland that the following changes to bTB testing requirements will come into effect from Monday, April 13.

Post-movement test for cows

A post-movement test will be no longer allowed for cows or male cattle over 36 months-of-age.

The current regulation requires cows of all ages and males over 36 months-of-age that are moving farm-to-farm or through a mart to be TB tested in the last six months. They must also be moving from a herd that has been tested in the last six months.

Cows and older male cattle that do not fulfil both these requirements must be tested either within the 30 days prior to movement or within 30 days after movement into the new herd.

From April 13, the post-movement test will no longer be allowed.

Pre-movement test for cows

There is no change to current testing requirements for suckler cows and males over 36 months-of-age.

There is no change to current testing requirements for dairy cows moving into a non-breeding herd.

A 30-day pre-movement test will be required for dairy cows moving into a breeding herd on or after April 13 of this year.

A 30-day pre-movement test will also be required for contract-reared heifers before returning to their herd of origin.

As well as this, a 30-day pre-movement test before moving to a contract rearer will be required for calves/heifers greater than 42 days-of-age that are moving to a herd where animals from multiple herds are contract reared.

GIF test

A gamma interferon test (GIF Test) will be mandatory in breeding herds of 80 cows or more where 5% of the exposed cohort test positive or where there are 10 reactors in the exposed cohort, whichever is the lesser.

The 'exposed cohort' by DAFM's definition is animals who have tested negative to a bTB test but are or were in the same management group as reactor animals at the time of breakdown.

For example, with an outbreak in dairy cows on a dairy farm, the exposed cohort is the cows in the milking cow group at the time of the outbreak.

The exposed cohort would exclude replacement heifers or calves present at the breakdown test if there were no reactors in those groups of animals.

DAFM has confirmed that it will cover the costs of the GIF tests.

Relapse High-risk (H) herds

If a herd breaks down with three or more reactors and the breakdown includes a reactor that was present at the time of a previous TB breakdown in the same herd, and in the same group of animals with three or more reactors, the herd will be tested every six months for three years post de-restriction.

A High-risk (H) breakdown occurs where there are three or more skin reactors in the one breakdown.

DAFM's definition of a 'Relapse H herd' is a herd with three or more reactors in a breakdown where there are reactors present in the same exposed cohort that were previously in a 'H' breakdown in that herd, and at least one of the reactors at the relapse breakdown was present as part of the exposed cohort in the previous 'H' breakdown.

Animal movements

Cows that were part of an exposed cohort in herds greater than 80 cows that were GIF tested may not be sold for two years after removal of the last reactor except to slaughter or a Controlled Finishing Unit (CFU).

Stay tuned to Agriland for further updates and information on these rule changes set to be implemented.