Debate contribution: Bovine Tuberculosis

Debate contribution by Mr Gareth Wilson on 27 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Gareth Wilson

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

27 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Bovine Tuberculosis

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5508751

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to make a winding-up speech on the amendment, which addresses an issue that is of real concern to many of my constituents. A TB outbreak can have a devastating impact on a farm, leading to uncertainty, sleepless nights and the obvious financial impacts. Earlier this month, as has been mentioned, the Ulster Farmers' Union, together with the Livestock and Meat Commission and the Northern Ireland Dairy Council, launched an independent report that revealed that TB costs farmers over £96 million a year. Those are eye-watering costs for an industry that is already at breaking point and has recently had to absorb the rising costs of fuel and fertiliser. It is simply not a cost that the sector can continue to absorb when profit margins are so tight.

In addition to the cost and mental toll of the out-of-control TB crisis, we must consider the growing cost of TB compensation to the taxpayer. In my constituency, for example, the cost of TB compensation in 2021 sat at around £2·2 million for the Armagh DVO area. As of 2025, that cost had risen to £4·7 million — a staggering increase of more than 109%. That figure does not demonstrate the fact that the cost of compensation does not include the loss of future income for the farmer from milk production and genetics, for example. The amendment rightly notes the wider economic impacts on agri-food supply chains, rural employment, domestic food security and export competitiveness, and it specifically includes local livestock marts. Marts, such as Markethill mart in my constituency, are much more than just sales rings; they are crucial rural institutions that support competition, transparency, cash flow and community. When bTB restrictions choke movement, marts and the ecosystems around them — hauliers, local service providers, processors — feel the consequences. It is clear that the current situation benefits neither taxpayers nor farmers. The obvious question then is this: what is the solution? The DUP's position has been consistent. We support robust and integrated eradication policies, but "integrated" must mean just that. It cannot be cattle measures alone while the wildlife aspect is left unaddressed. The Minister must look at all viable options, including the role of wildlife in the spread and persistence of the disease. We welcome additional funding through the Shared Island initiative because cooperation can help, but the amendment is right to reflect UFU concerns that the pilot area is not representative of the Northern Ireland bovine TB picture as a whole. If we want farmer confidence, the Department must show how lessons from the pilot will translate to our higher-incidence areas and larger cattle populations. Bovine TB is crushing confidence, draining profitability and damaging well-being. Farmers are not asking for sympathy; they are asking for decisions and delivery. The time for managing the disease indefinitely has passed. Nobody denies the difficulties in delivering the effective eradication of the disease, especially given previous legal challenges, but it is the role of the Minister to work constructively with the relevant stakeholders to meet the challenges. Our rural communities deserve that. I will spend some time reiterating some of the commentary made during the debate. Mr Blair agreed with comments on the severity of the impact of TB and its many impacts on farms and farmers. He outlined the AERA Minister's efforts and said that reports and recommendations needed actions and outcomes. He also said that the common enemy is bovine TB. Mr Butler urged avoidance of rinse-and-repeat treatments to such issues as bovine TB and the wildfires. He spoke of the immense burden on farmers. Daniel McCrossan spoke of the realities of the strain on farming families, the complexity of the disease and the fact that interventions need to be capable of delivering meaningful outcomes. Aoife Finnegan stated that it was a wide-ranging issue dealing with livestock, the health of our farming families and the economic realities of a £60 million bill for compensation. Deborah Erskine gave details on cattle infection rates in her Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency. She spoke of the toll of bovine TB on the farming family and of its human cost due to the associated uncertainty that severely impacts on mental health. Andrew McMurray said that, whilst he is not a farmer, his empathy and sympathy are with the farmer. He said that he was struck by the significance of the losses for the farmers concerned and that he welcomed any measures that effectively drive down disease incidence rates. Timothy Gaston said that the current statistics point to a failure of the Department and outlined the impacts on the farmer from a financial and mental health perspective. The Minister referred to the realities of the cost of the disease. He spoke of the human TB —.

I will. The Minister spoke at length. I apologise for not being able to cover all of it in my commentary. I commend the amendment.

824 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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