TB helpline under fire as TD warns farmers ‘unaware’ of mart rules
Farmers selling cattle are "unaware of who can buy them and what category they fall into," according to the Sinn Féin spokesman on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Speaking in the Dáil today (Thursday, May 14) Deputy Martin Kenny said that farmers are "finding it very difficult" to navigate new TB rules which are now in force at marts around the country.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine launched a new TB Action Plan last September and as a result farmers have seen significant changes on how cattle can move through livestock marts.
According to Deputy Kenny farmers are "very reticent and concerned about the whole scheme and how it is going to work out for them".
"Of course they want to work with a system that will eradicate TB but they cannot do so if they do not understand it and if it is not clear and concise.
"That needs to change," he warned.
TB
In response Minister Martin Heydon said the government acknowledges that "change is a challlenge for everybody" however he said the aim of the Action Plan is to "reset the TB programme by putting in place measures necessary to tackle the current disease situation".
"We have to recognise where the key challenge is.
"A reduction in bovine TB levels in breeding herds, especially in dairy herds, is a key element in driving down bovine TB levels nationally.
"Over the 12 months to May 3, the herd incidence was 5.42%, down from 6.29%, the number of herds restricted was down by just over 5,400, or 14.8%, and the number of reactors was over 35,400, down 15.71%. We have seen significant reductions in herd incidence and reactor numbers in the past year," he added.
Helpline
Deputy Kenny also told the Dáil today about the feedback he has heard in relation to a "dedicated helpline that farmers could contact" when they come down with a potential TB outbreak.
"My understanding is that they are getting no answer to any of the calls they make to that helpline.
"There is an issue in respect of that and I think it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible," he added.
Minister Heydon hit back at Deputy Kenny's comments on the helpline and said it is "up and running and has been since the middle of April".
ICMSA
However the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) was also highly critical today about the support available to farmers when it comes to the new TB rules and also on the "dedicated" TB helpline.
The deputy president of ICMSA, Eamon Carroll said farmers across the country are complaining that they are "unable to receive clear concise guidance from Regional Veterinary Offices (RVOs)s that they have contacted with a TB query".
“We’ve been pointing this out for months and the first question is what happened the TB helpline?" Carroll said.
The deputy president of ICMSA said that farmers were unable to get through to their RVOs "and when they did, found the staff no more knowledgeable or familiar with the new rules than were the farmers ringing them up for guidance".
