rampant TB…
Badgers blamed for
Irish farming is
undergoing massive
changes and is fighting
for support from the EU
and its own government
to help it cope. Edited
by Jonathan Riley
BADGERS are again being blamed for the spread of tuberculosis in Irish cattle. The disease is predicted to hit record levels and fresh evidence from badger culling trials suggests that culling might lead to a rapid reduction of the disease in cattle.
Evidence that badger culling could be linked to dramatic declines in bovine TB of 91% was first shown during a trial in East Offaly, Ireland.
The trial removed badgers from a highly infected area between 1989 and 1995 to assess the effects of culling.
Irish Farmers Association animal health committee chairman Liam Egan said the level of TB fell from four infected animals per thousand (APT) in TB tests, to an APT of 0.4 within six years.
But the trial methodology was attacked by wildlife pressure groups and despite recent validation of the findings by vets from the Irish Department of Agriculture, the results were sidelined while back-up trials were carried out in four new regions across Ireland.
"It is three years since the repeat trials began and government officials are now beginning to admit, at farmer meetings throughout Ireland, that the first indications from the trials show the same dramatic decline in TB when badgers are removed from an area," says Mr Egan.
He points out that was against a background of rising national TB figures, which have leapt from 27,000 TB test reactors in 1997 to a predicted level of 50,000 reactors this year.
"If a ten-fold fall off – down to a 0.4 APT level – could be achieved by a controlled culling programme, then TB testing could be scaled down to once every two years rather than the current annual testing requirement," says Mr Egan.
"This would save farmers millions in annual test costs because since 1996, farmers have had to pay for the cost of testing if results later prove to be negative.
"TB costs the industry £80m a year in tests alone. That is without consequential losses and the emotional stress farmers are subjected to when they lose their livelihoods.
"It is now time for the government take full responsibility for the results of their own trials and take national action to control the disease."
rampant TB…
IRISHFARMINGFACTS
• Over 80% of Irelands 4.4m ha (10.8m acres) of agricultural land is down to grass which is used to support over 7.5m head of cattle and 7.9m sheep.
• The regions 147,800 holdings support 0.3mha (0.7m acres) of cereals, 17,400ha (43,000 acres) of potatoes and 34,300ha (84,755ha) of sugar beet.
• Farm size is on the increase but compared to the UK average farm size is much smaller at 29.4ha (73 acres).
• Source: Central Statistics Office 1997-99.