A farm organisation has said that new research on farmer attitudes to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) "highlights problems that have been obvious for decades".

New research by the Economic and Social Research Institute's (ESRI’s) Behavioural Research Unit was published recently.

The mixed methods research included 60 in-depth farmer interviews followed by a survey experiment with 824 farmers.

It reveals a sense of pessimism and lack of control around bTB, alongside scepticism about some prevention measures. 

'Obvious'

Deputy president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA), Eamon Carroll, has reacted to the latest research.

He said it has "highlighted, yet again, problems" in the TB programme "that have been obvious for decades".

Carroll said the publication of the data "must signal a new determination and energy to finally get to grips with and eradicate an animal disease that has had a devastating impact upon generations of farm families".

“That is going to require timelines and targets to be hit with the flexibility within the plan to pivot and address areas that might need more resources or focus," Carroll said.

He said a "clear map" is needed towards eliminating bTB "from the country’s herds altogether and not just dampening it down only for it to flare up again in a few years".

Data

Carroll said that the ESRI was to be "commended" for the research.

He specifically identified the conclusion that "communications could focus on evidence-based narratives about the effectiveness of recommended measures while avoiding lengthy or overly technical material".

“This is exactly what ICMSA have been asking the department to implement for the last number of years," Carroll continued.

"We are also very struck by what the ESRI identified as the ‘fatalism’ that seems to take over when bTB enters the herd and we are adamant that this attitude of ‘fatalism’ must be looked at more closely.  

"It’s a question of morale and if a farmer is on an endless merry-go-round of bTB outbreaks, it becomes desperately hard to change to dynamic from a financial or mental health viewpoint.

"Those are the circumstances in which the department most needs to communicate with the farmers concerned and provide real solutions to those affected."

New rules

Carroll noted that new rules are going to be introduced in 2026 that "could deal with some of the issues examined in this research, such as animal history and some biosecurity issues".

"It will obviously take some time before the effects and results of the new rules can be measured and understood," he said.

However, he repeated his conviction that the new rules are "fatally undermined" by a lack of targets, requirements and timelines for the "other links" in the cattle trade and sector.

"The only people in this new regime with fixed targets are the farmers, who are also the only ones who suffer financial loss," Carroll said.

"We think that the same degree of compliance and timelined targets should have been applied to all stakeholders."