Bovine TB Report.pdf

Disease Policy:

1. Biosecurity advice: Provide farmers with biosecurity advice to reduce disease risk.
2. Breakdown management: Implement integrated breakdown management and communications.
3. Blackspot action plans: Develop blackspot action plans to target high-risk areas.
4. Badger risk reduction: Reduce the risk posed by badgers through controlled culling.
5. Deer risk reduction: Reduce the risk posed by deer through habitat management and culling.
6. Enhanced support: Provide enhanced support to herds with a history of disease.
7. Risk-based categorization: Categorize herds based on risk to inform disease control measures.
8. Farmer awareness: Enable farmers to understand their own bTB risk.
9. Incentivized removal: Incentivize the removal of inconclusive animals.
10. Impact assessment: Assess the impact of disease control measures.

Working in Partnership:

1. Mandating the bTB Forum: Mandate the bTB Forum to monitor implementation of the 2030 bTB Strategy.
2. Regional eradication efforts: Support regional eradication efforts.
3. Black-spot response: Develop a black-spot response plan to target high-risk areas.

Chairman's Note:

The Government aims to eradicate bTB by 2030.
Significant costs have been incurred since 1954, with estimated expenditure of €5.5bn.
Achieving eradication by 2030 will result in substantial savings.
The bTB Stakeholder Forum was established to propose policies to achieve eradication.
The Forum comprises representatives from the agri-food sector, researchers, and the Department of Agriculture.

Summary:

The Forum recommends a selection of policy options to reduce bTB.
The industry must continue to work towards additional policy measures to eradicate TB by 2030.
The Forum thanks members for their constructive engagement and stakeholders for their submissions.