Bovine TB: a farmer welfare issue?
UNSURPRISINGLY the current outlook for most NI farmers is one of pessimism. An unfortunate mix of ill-fated factors, including the weather and the shocking price of feed has left the men on the ground exasperated. However, there is an ever expanding group of farmers who will be particularly exposed to the hardships in the coming months, this group being those who have herds which are closed for TB.
For 63 years NI farmers have been dealing with the burden of TB which is estimated to have an administrative cost of £8.23 million per year. However, in the last 12 months, TB has risen by 30% in the province, a trend which has not been seen in any other part of the UK or in ROI. DARD are continuing to investigate this increase however they remain baffled as to what the cause could possibly be. We are still waiting to see what shape their “Wildlife Intervention Programme” will take and I would like to point out that in the interim NI farmers are keeping their half of the agreement by ensuring tight biosecurity is adopted on farms. UFU hope that there will be developments with the project in the coming weeks.
In the meantime DARD are working on their TB communication strategy, outlining how they are working in cooperation with farmers to try to eradicate the disease in the NI herd. UFU recently met with DARD officials to stress to them the difficulties that will be faced this winter in relation to closed herds being overstocked and farmers being unable to feed animals. We hope to work with DARD to ensure that this winter we are not facing an animal or a farmer welfare issue. Those who are struggling are urged to contact their local DVO and I would like to highlight that there are other organizations that can provide help such as Rural Support. CAFRE’s advisors can also be contacted for help and advice on feeding stock this winter.
I would urge all farmers to remain vigilant and to ensure that any stock they buy in comes from a reliable source. Preventing cattle from having access to badger setts and ensuring wildlife cannot enter cattle houses or feed stores will also be crucial to try to curb this chronic and multi faceted disease.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Sunday 19 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North west
