Debate contribution: Bovine TB
Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on .
- MLA
- Mr Andrew Muir
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 13 October 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Bovine TB
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5175681
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Since becoming Minister, I have been clear that we must do more to reverse the increase in bovine TB in Northern Ireland. In January, in response to a recommendation from the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), I established a TB partnership steering group — a new body that is made up of farming, industry, veterinary and environmental stakeholders — to work with my Department to develop the actions that are needed to get rates of the disease to fall. I was therefore very pleased to endorse the group's agreed 'Bovine Tuberculosis in Northern Ireland — Blueprint for Eradication', which was published in April. The blueprint document sets out the necessary priorities under three key themes: people, cattle and wildlife. My Department has a new TB eradication transformation programme in place to deliver the actions in the blueprint. Initial priorities include work on wildlife intervention options. I have therefore asked officials to prepare a new public consultation on options. Other priority work streams include work to ensure that TB testing is carried out to the required standard, work to progress a potential regionalisation pilot, work to provide on-farm biosecurity advice and work to expand the use of the supplementary interferon-gamma (IFN-g) blood test. I am committed to progressing the new measures in order to tackle the disease as quickly as possible. It is clear that only by working together can we tackle all the factors that contribute to the spread and endurance of that costly disease.
244 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.68).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.68 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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