{"id":1333822,"date":"2024-06-20T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agriland.ie\/?p=1333822"},"modified":"2024-06-20T14:42:58","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T13:42:58","slug":"expansion-of-dairy-herd-has-had-an-impact-on-tb-levels-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightsail.agriland.ie\/farming-news\/expansion-of-dairy-herd-has-had-an-impact-on-tb-levels-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"Expansion of dairy herd has ‘had an impact’ on TB levels – minister"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The expansion of the dairy herd in Ireland since 2015 has had an “impact on increasing TB levels” according to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minister Charlie McConalogue has also highlighted that “larger herds, fragmented farms, and herds that buy in cattle are all more at risk” of a bovine tuberculosis (bTB) breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response to a parliamentary question raised by the Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, Bernard Durkan, the minister outlined that there are three main sources of infection for cattle in this country – “the purchase of infected cattle, the presence of residual (undetected) infection within cattle herds and spread from wildlife (badgers predominately)”.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The relative importance of these factors vary from herd to herd and all three need to be addressed to protect livestock and eradicate TB,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minister McConalogue also underlined to Deputy Durkan that bovine TB is a “challenging disease to control and eradicate”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“I am acutely aware of the financial and emotional trauma associated with a TB breakdown.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
“It causes significant hardship for farmers and\u00a0farming families, and I am fully committed to the objectives of the Bovine TB Eradication Strategy which aims to reduce and ultimately eradicate this disease in Ireland,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TB<\/h2>\n\n\n\n