Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 November 2025
306. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of compensation paid to Irish farmers annually for cattle diagnosed with TB from 2010 to November 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64183/25]
View answerIreland’s TB Eradication Programme has a comprehensive compensation regime in place for herd-owners who are affected by bovine TB.
The On Farm Market Valuation Scheme is the principal compensation measure available to Herd-owners whose herds are affected by a bovine TB breakdown in their herd. The Scheme aims to compensate farmers up to the open market value of an animal as if they were not affected by disease, subject to ceilings.
The Income Supplement Scheme is a targeted scheme which assists farmers who lose 9.5% or more of their herd to disease due to a single TB breakdown. Income supplement is only payable in cases where the 9.5% threshold is met in one continuous restriction period and where Depopulation is not deemed an appropriate measure.
The Hardship Grant is a targeted scheme aimed at assisting eligible herd-owners who retain and feed animals during prolonged periods of restriction as a result of a TB breakdown. The scheme runs each year for herds restricted between November 1st and April 30th.
Depopulation Grant is paid for each animal removed in the depopulation measure and for those herds that are partial or fully depopulated on foot of a veterinary decision made on analysis of the overall TB disease situation within a herd.
In the table below, please find total expenditure per year in respect of all compensation measures, based on my Departments SAP Accounts system and the Animal Health Computer System.
|
Year |
Total number of payments* |
Total Compensation Paid |
|
2010 |
6475 |
€15,816,665.78 |
|
2011 |
6002 |
€16,618,147.15 |
|
2012 |
5736 |
€16,659,692.96 |
|
2013 |
10,144 |
€12,688,025.12 |
|
2014 |
9,963 |
€15,226,852.97 |
|
2015 |
9,164 |
€13,398,976.55 |
|
2016 |
8,759 |
€13,992,519.73 |
|
2017 |
10,492 |
€14,045,075.15 |
|
2018 |
11,006 |
€18,086,953.64 |
|
2019 |
10,905 |
€17,721,595.75 |
|
2020 |
12,279 |
€20,700,106.80 |
|
2021 |
12,853 |
€26,096,406.63 |
|
2022 |
11,427 |
€26,521,430.38 |
|
2023 |
13,956 |
€39,287,057.71 |
|
2024 |
21,795 |
€62,543,636.03 |
|
To 14th Nov 2025 |
25,008 |
€60,531,353.37 |
*includes multiple payments across all schemes made to any single herd in the calendar year.
