Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
893. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will urgently address the compensation ceilings currently in place for TB reactors, as current rates are leaving many farmers significantly out of pocket; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39006/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraBovine TB is an ongoing challenge for Irish farmers. I am acutely aware of the emotional and financial impacts of bovine TB on farmers, their families and rural Ireland.
I have secured an increased budget for bTB in Budget 2026 and I am confident that this will allow the revamped bTB programme to focus on tackling disease levels through the implementation of the measures laid out in the new bTB Action Plan. It will support and enable farm families who are currently dealing with the stress of a TB outbreak to navigate a way out of a TB restriction and protect those herds currently free from TB from the stress of a TB outbreak.
The objective of the new measures in the Bovine TB Action Plan is to reduce the number of farms affected by bTB and decrease costs for farmers and the taxpayer.
My Department provides a range of financial supports that focus on compensating farmers for both direct and indirect losses incurred as a result of a TB breakdown on the farm. The primary support scheme is the On Farm Market Valuation scheme where animals removed as reactors receive compensation subject to scheme ceilings equivalent to their market value in the event they were not disclosed as TB reactors. In 2025 of the 40,583 animals valued under the On Farm Market Valuation scheme just under 90% of animals were valued below the scheme ceilings.
In addition to the compensation package for eligible reactor animals that are removed during a TB breakdown, my Department operates three supplementary schemes that assist farmers with the indirect losses incurred as a result of a TB breakdown on their farm.
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 full 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 and that have more animals than the same period in the previous year. 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.
Due to the increased cost of the bTB programme in recent years, the focus at present is on reducing the levels of disease which will reduce the impact of bTB on Irish farm families and reduce the cost of the programme which has risen to over €121 million in 2025.
