The control of bovine tuberculosis in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Assembly papers 92/08-09 Session 2008-2009

Corporate Author:

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Audit Office

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Northern Ireland has some 25,000 herds of cattle, with 1.7 million animals. At December 2007, some 1,600 herds were under disease restrictions, a prevalence of Bovine TB (bTB) of 7 per cent. Over the 10 years to March 2006 the Department spent a total of £199 million on the disease control programme, mainly compensation payments to farmers (£86 million) and payments to Private Veterinary Practices contracted to test herds for bTB (£54 million). The report highlights a range of concerns. The section on bTB testing procedures covers: the limitations of the bTB Skin Test in detecting infected animals; the cost of testing carried out by Private Veterinary Practitioners (PVPs); the quality of work being carried out by a number of PVPs; Departmental supervision of PVP testing; disciplinary action against PVPs who breach procedures. Measures to combat the spread examined are: the adequacy of boundary fencing on farms; the level of uptake of the 'life-long learning programme' by farmers; pre-movement testing of animals for bTB; the extent to which wildlife is a factor in transmission of bTB; weaknesses in the Department's research programme. The report also examines the level of compliance with EU legislation and the limited use of financial support from the EU Veterinary Fund. Compensation, enforcement and tackling fraud are covered in part 5, including: the cost of compensation; compensation valuations; enforcement of the legislation; tackling fraud. The overall conclusion is that Bovine TB has been a long-standing major problem in Northern Ireland and the Department's progress in tackling it has been slow. While the general trend of the disease is decreasing, it remains significantly higher than the 1997 level and it is clear that much remains to be done.

Extent	x, 113p.	ISBN	9780337091742
Size	N/A	Price	£5.00
Format	Paperback	Published	18 Mar 2009
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