Debate contribution: Bovine TB

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 19 November 2024.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

19 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Bovine TB

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4666313

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Members for tabling this important motion. Since coming into post at the start of the year, I have had numerous opportunities to hear at first hand the difficulties from a financial and well-being perspective that are faced by farm businesses that are suffering from TB in their herds. I have heard too often about the toll that TB breakdowns continue to have on our farmers' mental health. As Members have noted, cattle farming is an extremely important part of the Northern Ireland economy, and I value it. The value of trade in our bovine products is approaching £3 billion each year, with our processing sector employing around 8,000 people. Our bovine TB programme is essential in underpinning that trade, as it provides the necessary assurance to our domestic and international markets that our cattle and cattle products are safe. Indeed, our programme is approved by the European Commission, and it forms the basis of our access to trade cattle and cattle products throughout the single market. I share Members' concerns about the disappointingly high levels of TB across Northern Ireland. Herd incidences here have remained above 10% since 2022. I am also acutely conscious of the more recent increase in animal incidence, which now stands at over 1%. That has risen from 0·55% at the end of 2014. That points towards large breakdowns and more cattle being slaughtered for disease control. Indeed, over 20,000 cattle have been removed from farms in Northern Ireland in the past 12 months. That has a direct environmental impact, and it has placed those farm businesses that are suffering from the loss of their cattle in a most challenging position. The slaughter of cattle for the control of TB results in a direct loss in farm income, especially for dairy farms, and has a detrimental impact on the genetics through the loss of key breeding stock. I recognise that, and I am fully aware of the need to take action. The high disease rates also place significant pressure on my Department's budget. Last year, the cost of delivering our TB programme was over £55 million, with the compensation bill accounting for over £36 million. My officials advise that this year's costs could be in the region of £60 million. That also curtails my ability to allocate more of my scarce resources to tackling TB. Indeed, it is likely that additional TB measures may cost more in the short term, both from a resource perspective and due to finding more disease on farms, before we begin to see a more medium-term reduction in disease and expenditure. I acknowledge that more needs to be done, which is why I asked Brian Dooher, after taking up his role as Chief Veterinary Officer earlier this year, to undertake a thorough review of our approach to tackling bovine TB, including the recommendations in the Department's 2022 bovine tuberculosis eradication strategy. The CVO has engaged widely as part of that process with farmers and their representatives, veterinarians, epidemiologists, environmental representatives and agricultural processors. He has also spoken with colleagues in neighbouring jurisdictions, and I thank everyone who has given their time to share their thoughts and knowledge with Brian and his colleagues. The CVO's review is nearing completion, and I will brief members of the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee on its content and approach next week.

In the motion, Members have noted the important role played by members of the TB Eradication Partnership over its tenure from 2018 until the end of 2023. I agree, and I highlight the fact that the group provided valuable advice to the Department and to my predecessor and was an important conduit through which the Department could engage on the detail of specific TB policy matters with stakeholders. I have also had the opportunity to meet a number of former members of TBEP during my time as Minister, and I again take the opportunity to thank all TBEP members for their work during that time. I also record my appreciation to the members of the TB strategic partnership group, which preceded TBEP. This is the Department of acronyms, folks. The TB strategic partnership group spent two years engaging with vets, scientists and farmers to develop a thorough and holistic package of measures designed to address all the factors that contribute to the spread and endurance of this difficult disease. Learning from best practice elsewhere, including places as far away as New Zealand and Australia, the TB strategic partnership group drew upon the best scientific advice available, including behavioural science, to support the Department with a set of recommendations that, following two further public consultations, formed the basis of our current bovine TB eradication strategy. As some Members will be aware, the tenure of TBEP members drew to a close in 2023. My Department commissioned an independent strategic review of TBEP under the auspices of the Strategic Investment Board. The SIB report reiterated the importance of working in partnership with stakeholders and the need for me and my Department to have access to independent scientific advice when formulating TB policy. I therefore look forward to considering the CVO's review of our current approach and taking into account the SIB's review of TBEP to ensure that, as we move forward, correct stakeholder structures are put in place to have the best chance of success. As I am quite sure Members are aware, addressing the endurance of bovine TB in Northern Ireland will not be easy or straightforward, and there are many challenges that we must collectively address if we are to finally set Northern Ireland on a path to eradication. I have already mentioned the unacceptably high level of disease currently circulating here and the challenge of funding additional disease control measures in a constrained public finance environment. We must also recognise that efforts to control bovine TB here and in other parts of the UK and Ireland date back to the 1950s, yet the disease persists. It is clear from the behavioural science, supported by experiences elsewhere in the world, that bovine TB eradication efforts cannot succeed without the proactive engagement of all stakeholders. There must be shared ownership of any plan to eradicate bovine TB, with meaningful collective responsibility and a recognition of the skills and knowledge that each stakeholder brings to the table. That is crucial in changing the culture surrounding bovine TB here. I am acutely aware that there are strongly held and often opposing views among stakeholders on how best to proceed, but I believe that all stakeholders can and need to work together. On biosecurity, further scientific evidence also points to the predominant spread of TB between cattle themselves. There are elements of our farming practices that are clearly unsuited to disease control, such as fragmentation of our farm holdings and the extremely high number of cattle movements that occur throughout Northern Ireland each year. The high TB incidence affecting our dairy herds may also reflect the intensification of that sector. Members will also be aware of the limitations of the tuberculin skin test. Whilst effective for herd level surveillance, its lower sensitivity results in individual cattle with TB going undetected. Many in the Chamber will know what I am talking about. Again, the scientific evidence points to the need for increased use of supplementary interferon gamma blood tests. Such extra testing comes with additional cost, not least the pain of slaughtering more cattle, certainly in the shorter term. Given the high disease rates across Northern Ireland at present, I encourage all farmers to review thoroughly their measures for keeping TB out of their herds and to minimise spread if their herd is suffering from a TB breakdown. There are excellent sources of advice available, including on my Department's website. I will turn to wildlife. Members and industry have frequently raised with me the role played by wildlife in the maintenance and spread of TB here. Indeed, the amendment to today's motion, which my party will support, reflects that. As Members will appreciate, strong views are generated on both sides of this very emotive debate. In parallel with the CVO's review, my officials are working to address the issues raised in the October 2023 judicial review decision, which overturned the previous Minister's proposal for a non-selective cull of badgers. When that work concludes, I will consider the finalised advice carefully before advising Members in the new year on any preferred way forward. It has been clear to me since becoming Minister that addressing bovine tuberculosis is one of the most difficult challenges facing our cattle-farming sector and my Department. The key priority is to work with the CVO and his colleagues to put in place a deliverable and affordable set of measures that seek to halt the upward disease trend and the financial pressure that that creates for farm families and my limited departmental resources. Difficult decisions will need to be taken. I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment of the House today that those decisions must be based on the best scientific evidence available, and they will be. I am committed to working with Members, farmers, vets and all our stakeholders on the challenges ahead. With Members' support, I will ensure that, once I receive the finalised CVO review, my Department, with the resources at its disposal, will put the current spread of TB into reverse and, in partnership with the industry and wider stakeholders, finally set Northern Ireland on the path to the eradication of this devastating disease.

1,590 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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