Wilson raises questions in relation to TB funding
Newry and DUP MLA and member of the AERA Committee, Gareth Wilson, has questioned how a newly announced £4 million allocation for a bovine tuberculosis pilot will be used and whether it will be sufficient to make a meaningful difference to the eradication of the disease.
Mr Wilson commented: “Bovine TB continues to have a devastating impact on farm families right across Northern Ireland, placing enormous financial and emotional strain on those affected, as well as costing the public purse tens of millions of pounds each year.
“While any investment aimed at tackling this disease is to be welcomed in principle, there is a lack of clarity around how exactly this £4 million will be used in practice. Farmers and the wider industry deserve to know what specific measures this funding will deliver on the ground.”
He continued: “We know that this pilot will involve additional cattle testing, biosecurity measures and research into wildlife controls, but there has been no detailed breakdown of how the funding will be allocated or what level of intervention we should realistically expect to see.
“Given the scale of the challenge with the TB programme costing in excess of £60 million annually, serious questions must be asked as to whether £4 million is sufficient to drive the kind of transformation that is being promised.”
Mr Wilson concluded: “If this is to be a meaningful step towards eradication, it is essential that the funding is targeted effectively, that it delivers measurable outcomes, and that lessons from the pilot can be scaled up across Northern Ireland without delay. The UFU has already expressed concerns about this project, and now additional funding is being provided for it.”