Latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show the total number of herds restricted because of bovine tuberculosis (TB) increased to 5,122 over the 12 months to the end of quarter one 2024.
The National Bovine TB statistics show that the total number of reactors removed in the last 12 months to the end of Q1 2024 also rose to 30,332 from 23,977 in the period Q1 2022 to Q1 2023.
Herd incidence increased to 4.99% in Q1 this year compared to 4.40% in Q1 last year.
The latest bovine TB national statistics for Q1 2024 highlight that the level of bovine TB has been rising in Ireland since 2018. In 2019 it was 3.72% but by the end of 2023 it had climbed to 4.94%.
According to the department the “overall steady increase in herd incidence since then highlights the continued need for urgent action by all stakeholders”.
TB expenditure
Expenditure on the National Bovine Tuberculosis Programme to the end of Q1 2024 hit €21.9 million according to the latest DAFM statistics. This represents an increase of 11% on 2023 figures for Q1 when expenditure totaled €19.7 million.
According to DAFM, on-farm market valuation (OFMV) also increased by 50% to €11.9 million in Q1 2024 compared to €7.9 million for Q1 2023.
The department stated: “This continued increase year-on-year in OFMV is due to strong market values and the rise in the number reactors.
“OFMV is the main contributor to the increase in TB programme expenditure over the last three years”.
It also detailed in the latest National Bovine TB statistics that compensation rates have increased by 24% to the end of Q1 2024 while a 952% jump in spending on research is chiefly because of the “timing of invoices”.
According to research conducted into the spread of TB in Ireland and the risks underlying its transmission, the principal causes of TB introduction and spread include:
- Movement of infected cattle with undetected infection;
- Residual infection in cattle previously exposed to TB;
- Spread across farm boundaries from infected cattle to uninfected cattle;
- Indirect spread through other biosecurity breaches;
- Spread from infected badgers to uninfected cattle.