Muir says he will not shy away from difficult decisions on tackling bovine TB

The Agriculture Minister has made clear he will not shy away from difficult decisions when tackling bovine TB in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Muir was commenting as he outlined findings of a review of the region’s approach to the disease.

Mr Muir had asked chief veterinary officer (CVO) Brian Dooher to carry out the exercise into the department’s bovine TB (bTB) programme and policies.

Mr Dooher has made 40 recommendations to the minister.

On the contentious issue of badger culling, Mr Dooher said a “one size fits all” strategy will not work in Northern Ireland, as he highlighted the potential for an approach that combined badger vaccination with selective culls.

A decision by former agriculture minister Edwin Poots to order a “limited” cull of badgers was quashed by Belfast High Court last year.

The minister and the CVO appeared before the Assembly’s Agriculture Committee on Thursday to field questions on the review.

Herd incidence and animal incidence rates of bTB in Northern Ireland continue to rise, the committee heard.

In the 2023/24 financial year, total departmental expenditure on its bTB programme was £55.7 million of which £36.5 million was paid in compensation – this marked a rise of 39% from 2020/21.

Mr Muir said action was needed.

“I actually see this as a real, positive opportunity to move forward,” he said of the review.

“I’m not going to shy away from some difficult decisions on this and on other issues, because I think our politics has been failed in the past where we’ve done that.”

The minister said a collective approach was required.

“We need to do this together, because this is a collective problem,” he said.

“It’s not just government, it’s not just farming, it’s not individual farmers. We’re all collectively affected by this. It affects the wider industry. You speak to the processors around it all. If this report today does not provide an opportunity for a reset, then I don’t know what will.”

The review outlines actions aimed at changing culture; protecting uninfected herds from disease; detecting and removing infection effectively and efficiently; reducing transmission to other herds and wildlife; development of a wildlife intervention strategy; changes to compensation and proposals for further research; and a new approach to regionalisation.

The minister has asked officials to draw up options for the establishment of a new industry/government partnership body to produce a delivery plan.

He said he wanted the body to commence its work by January next year, with the plan and accompanying communications strategy completed by March.

“This is a pivotal report giving us a detailed and Northern Ireland-specific overview of current challenges which has the potential to help put us on a much better course towards aim of bTB eradication,” he said.

“Collaboration and partnership working is key to help turn the situation around, it is of fundamental importance that industry, stakeholders and government work closer together.

“The status quo is not an option, change over short, medium and long term is essential. The mental health impact upon farmers is of deep personal concern to me and the significant financial burden upon both the industry and borne by government cannot continue.”

Mr Dooher added: “This review has provided a stark picture of the particular challenges we face in the fight to control bTB, challenges which must be overcome if we are to finally set NI on a path to eradication.

“The urgency with which this now must be addressed is a direct response to the significant deterioration in the national bTB situation in NI, with a concurrent increase in expenditure.

“These proposals are, I hope, the start of a new journey on our path to control and eradicate this disease from NI.”

Catch up with the latest UTV Live on ITVX

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.