Blueprint puts renewed focus on eradication of bovine TB

A blueprint has been launched to put a renewed focus on tackling bovine TB in Northern Ireland.

However the region’s chief veterinary officer has warned that the eradication of the disease will take time.

Herd and animal incidence rates were 10.76% and 1.156% in Northern Ireland in February following a significant increase over the past five years, and higher than in neighbouring jurisdictions.

Comparatively, the herd incidence rate in the Republic of Ireland in 2024 was 6%, while it was 7.7% in England, 6.8% in Wales and just 0.6% in Scotland in 2024.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has projected that public expenditure on tackling the disease will reach £60m for the 2024/25 financial year.

It published a blueprint for the eradication of bovine TB on Tuesday afternoon.

It comes after AERA Minister Andrew Muir pledged to tackle bovine TB in Northern Ireland last November, and following a review, established a working group to develop a way forward.

TB Partnership Steering Group which was established earlier this year, and includes both farmer and wildlife advocates, agreed the blueprint.

New measures to deliver the aims of the blueprint are to include enhanced disease surveillance and testing programmes and enhanced herd health and biosecurity measures as well as wildlife interventions.

Chief veterinary officer (CVO) Brian Dooher said there is no magic bullet.

“It (the blueprint) identifies the immediate actions and the steps needed to put these actions in place, and how we’re going to assess them and how we’re going to progress them,” he said.

“It really is a roadmap on the way forward, short, medium and longer term, and how we’ll work together to deliver these things.

“This is going to take time but it does provide us with that map, how we can realistically advance the eradication of TB and put us on that pathway.

“We are a bit behind the other jurisdictions, but there is an opportunity to learn from what has worked for them.

“The thing with TB is, there is no magic bullet here, no one single action is going to resolve this issue. Basically we need to do a lot of things differently and better.”

Mr Muir welcomed the blueprint, described it as the “result of hard work, forward thinking and excellent collaboration by members of the TBPSG”.

“We cannot continue on the current path, change is required and this ambitious blueprint provides us with a clear and decisive way forward to finally setting Northern Ireland on the pathway to eradication,” he said.

“I would like to thank members for their extensive efforts in developing and agreeing the blueprint together, which helps identify the immediate priorities for action and the steps needed to put them in place.

“I have directed my officials to advance the necessary recommendations and decisions which we now need to progress as we set out on this journey together.”