Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, has today (Monday March 30) written to all herdowners advising them of important updates relating to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) testing requirements.

It relates to the eradication programme as part of the implementation of the Bovine TB Action Plan.

Minister Heydon said: “I am very aware of the emotional and financial impacts of a bTB breakdown on farming families and rural communities.

"The aim of the bTB Action Plan is to reset the bTB eradication programme by putting in place measures necessary to tackle the current disease situation.

"The measures in the plan are targeting all routes of transmission including between wildlife and cattle, transmission between cattle, and residual infection.”

The minister has now written to all farmers outlining the changes to the bTB eradication programme which will come into effect on Monday, April 13.

The leaflet included with the letter summarises the changes to animal testing and animal movement requirements.

"I would encourage all farmers to take the time to familiarise themselves with these changes in advance of the 13th," Minister Heydon added.

The minister has advised farmers to scan the QR code on the leaflet they receive or visit bovinetb.ie to keep up to date with the changes and to access further information on the bTB programme.

TB plan

The agriculture minister published the Bovine TB Action Plan: Addressing Bovine TB in Ireland on September 9, 2025.

The plan includes five measures and 30 actions to address, and over time reduce, the current high disease levels as follows:

Support herds free of bTB to remain free;
Reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of bTB;
Detect and eliminate bTB infection as early as possible in herds with a bTB breakdown and avoid a future breakdown;
Help farmers improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity;
Reduce the impact of known high-risk animals in spreading bTB.

These measures are targeting both transmission between wildlife and cattle and transmission between cattle where the disease risk is highest in order to meaningfully reduce disease levels.  

Changes to TB testing

From April 13, 2026, the following changes to bTB testing and movement requirements will come into effect:

Changes to bTB testing requirements

Post-movement test: All cows and males over 36 months - post movement test no longer allowed.

Pre-movement test: Suckler cows and males over 36 months - no change to current testing requirements.

Dairy cows moving into a non-breeding herd - no change to current testing requirements.

Dairy cows moving into a breeding herd - a 30-day pre-movement test required.

Contract-reared heifers before return to herd of origin – a 30-day premovement test required.

Contract-reared heifers - calves/heifers greater than 42 days moving to a herd where animals from multiple herds are contract reared - 30-day pre-movement test before moving to contract rearer is required.

Gamma Interferon Test (GIF Test)

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.

GIF tests will be paid for by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Relapse High Risk (H) herds

If a herd breaks down with three or more reactors and the breakdown includes a reactor who 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 derestriction. 

Changes to 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 last reactor except to slaughter or Controlled Finishing Unit (CFU).

Definitions

High-risk (H) breakdown: Three or more skin reactors in the one breakdown.

Exposed cohort are 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.

E.g., 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.

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.