Martin Heydon
Kildare South · Fine Gael · Ireland
“In the time allotted to us, I would say we will not be able to cover everything in CAP. To take the last point first, the budget is everything. While it is not part of my negotiations as chair of the AGRIFISH Council, it is a key focus of the Irish Presidency.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important point. A key focus of Food Vision 2030, the shared stakeholder-led strategy for the agrifood sector, is to grow the value of Irish agrifood exports in international markets, which, as I outlined earlier, we have been very successful at in recent years.”
“All producers selling raw milk must register with my Department and are subject to risk-based official controls that include inspection, audit and sampling.”
“Whether it is farmers with particular issues that are leading to environmental issues or issues with structures that need to be replaced, we are very lucky to have capital support in agriculture. I really believe in our TAMS structure.”
“I was delighted to be able to introduce the tillage sustainability support scheme earlier this year. I have not been found wanting in standing up and supporting a tillage sector that has been under pressure in recent times. The same applies to horticulture.”
“Following the publication of the report, I wrote to the chairperson of the board on 22 June 2026, requesting that the board develop a timely and effective action plan to address the recommendations in the report, and I will be seeking regular updates on its progress. I want to see these recommendations implemented and progressed.”
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“It recognises the barriers that many women continue to face - from visibility and recognition to access to land, finance, representation and decision-making - while also setting out practical actions to create meaningful change. Since the launch of the plan in January 2024, Ireland has taken a number of important steps towards improving gender equality in our agri-food sector. We have established a dedicated working group made up of stakeholders from across the sector to oversee implementation of the action plan. We have delivered targeted information, awareness and networking initiatives, highlighting women’s contributions to the sector through in-person events, online webinars and social media campaigns.”
“Indeed, Ireland is one of only two member states to have specific measures under the CAP strategic plan to improve gender equality. I hope that through our EU Presidency, I will be able to reinforce that point and encourage other member states to reflect on it as the new CAP is being negotiated. By promoting equal access to education, advisory services and investment opportunities, the CAP strategic plan aims to create a more inclusive agricultural sector that values and supports the contribution of women, strengthens our rural communities and aligns Irish agriculture with broader EU commitments on equality and sustainable development. In addition, the national action plan on women in agriculture represents a significant and welcome step forward.”
“Farmers face complex challenges, from climate change to rising input costs, access to land, succession and market uncertainty. In meeting those challenges, we cannot afford to overlook the contribution, leadership and innovation of women working across every aspect of the agri-food sector. Increased participation and visibility of women in agriculture has been a priority for me, and it has also been articulated by colleagues in the House this evening. Guided by the women in agriculture action plan, we have introduced a series of targeted measures, including 60% grant aid for women farmers under CAP investment schemes; women-only knowledge transfer groups, mentorship and leadership initiatives; and ongoing work to address succession barriers that disproportionately affect women.”
“Senator Clonan could not stay, but he reiterated the point on food security and children in our schools. I am aware, as Senator Costello said, that we have some very proud farmers in Bóthar na Brúine, particularly dairy farmers. Not everyone thinks there are farmers in Tallaght, but she advocated well for them. I thank both Senator Joe Conway for the points he made and Senator Stephenson, who talked about the women in agriculture action plan. In my remaining time, it is important to say that women account for just over 13% of farmholders in Ireland, despite making up 34% of the agriculture workforce and being heavily involved in family farms throughout the country. Addressing this imbalance is now a clear priority under the programme for Government, the CAP strategic plan and Food Vision 2030.”
“Senator Noonan touched on that when he talked about the role of ambassadors in many ways and his and my former colleague, the former Minister of State and Senator, Pippa Hackett, and the work she did. For Senator Clifford-Lee, food security is an integral part of it and I will be making points as part of our EU Presidency on the reform of the CAP. In the context of all the eastern European countries wanting more money to be spent on defence, we will be talking about the next CAP and the need to fund and support it in the context of food security. The role female farmers have in that space is important. I reflected on the fact that there were probably more female farmers in the ICA in north County Dublin a generation ago than there are now, but I agree with her comments on the ICA and the point I made.”
“Senator Collins also talked about taxation structures and the cultural change and education proposals. When Senator Cosgrove spoke about education and it being a subject for the junior certificate examinations as a crossover with home economics and other subjects, it brought home to me both that we are the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the value of our food and good nutrition and where that comes from. It is the responsibility of everyone in the household and on the farm to advocate for that. The female farmer, whether or not her name is on the herd number, and we want there to be more of a partnership approach, has a key role to play.”
“Senator Paul Daly talked about the women in his life as well and about making farming attractive. In many ways, that is about taking away the barriers. That is important. Senator Brady spoke about his grandmother. I also reflected on my grandmothers. I am the first generation in a long time on both sides of my family not to be a full-time farmer. That is for now, but I will go back to being one again. He also spoke about Carina Roseingrave, the Department's ambassador, who I will reference later, and the structure under which she wants to bring children onto her farm and what they can learn. It is important. A number of colleagues referenced food security, and explaining where food comes from is a key part of that. The Senator spoke about the role of his daughter on his farm, which is heard of as well.”
“I was Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety for four years and am still disturbed by the poor attitude we have to risk on our farms. Irish farmers are seven times more likely to lose their lives in a farm workplace incident than any other of the 2 million workers in this country because of that poor attitude to risk. I always think if we had more female farmers leading on our farms, they would not have as poor an attitude to risk. Senator Boyhan said it in the context of children and where children play on the farm, but in all aspects of what farmers do in general, they have too much of an attitude that near misses are acceptable in life. They are not and should not be. Women farmers have a voice with which they speak out and call it out more.”
“It called out the challenges and barriers around gender, access to land, access to finance and beyond. Those challenges are in that space. A number of colleagues mentioned the green certificate through education in secondary schools and others said it about transition year. The green certificate is a valuable document. It is the mechanism through which the tax supports the State's way of supporting generational renewal, so there is a high standard for it and it is there for good reason. Senators alluded to impediments, and the point was made about the National Stud by Senator McCarthy. For good reason the green certificate is cherished and we have to be careful of the accreditation. We do not want to undermine it in any way. Senator Boyhan also made a point about children and their place on the farm in the context of women.”
“The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, under the Minister, Deputy Calleary, who I work closely with on this, LEADER funding and all the areas we care about that traverse both farming and rural Ireland, is currently drafting a new rural development strategy with a significant contribution from my Department, including input on promoting women in agriculture, as we did in the first strategy, and taking it to the next level. The Senator can be reassured that the points he made about that were heard. Senator Boyhan also referenced the transfer and ownership of land. The commission on generational renewal we brought together as a group to look at the huge challenges in generational renewal came up with a report that had 31 clear actions.”
“Sean Bell today. People like Ms Elisa Goode in the Department are passionate about this area. The Department is now led for the first time by a female Secretary General, and Ms Sinéad McPhillips, from the top down, has shown real leadership in this space. I attended a number of women in agriculture events in Mexico and Asia when our Secretary General was assistant secretary with responsibility for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and more. I am proud of the leadership role Ireland plays in respect of women in agriculture. This debate on the motion tabled by Senator Boyhan has allowed me to touch on much of that progress while also taking on board the points raised about education and other things, which have been constructive. Senator Boyhan made a significant reference to Our Rural Future, which he has a copy of.”
“My wife and I, having both been raised in farming circles and having our active farm at home, are determined that each of our four children will have an equal opportunity to inherit the farm. It will go to whoever has the grá, passion or desire and my daughter will not be disadvantaged by being one of four with three brothers. We will not put too much pressure on her - she is only five - but as of now she has the same shot as any of the boys in that. Before I go into the individual comments in Members' contributions, I thank people for their compliments about the work of my Department. I acknowledge, as Senator Paul Daly did, those who have gone before me in leading the way on this, and I pay tribute to some exceptional officials in the Department of agriculture. I do not get to recognise them very often. I am joined by Mr.”
“Instead she switched to sucklers, and before and after school, morning and evening, we fed those cows so that I would have that grá and taste for it. She was also keen to know, before signing over the farm, who I would marry. It may be just as well that Senator Costello is not here as she might get upset, because Mam said to me one day, "What if you marry someone from Dublin who does not care about the calves?" "There are plenty of people in Dublin who do care about the calves", is the answer I should have given her. However, when I married a potato farmer's daughter from outside Athy, Mam duly felt it was time to hand over the farm. She was happy enough.”
“In the 1980s my mother's name did not appear anywhere on documents, such as about the herd number or anything like that. That was the case until, unfortunately, at the age of 43, she became a widow when Dad passed away and she was left with three young children, of whom I was one. Therefore, when we see the small percentage of female farmers and how small the number is, I am acutely aware that many of them are not the lead farmer on the farm by choice. We would have liked partnerships and a better structure, but as has been outlined, many people have been put in that situation due to circumstances they wish did not happen. My mother gave me the grá or love I have for agriculture by deciding not to set the land, which would have been the easier thing to do with three young children to be educated.”
“I thank Senator Boyhan for raising an important issue and making many constructive points in his motion. The esteem in which he is held by his colleagues is evident from the contributions to and participation in this debate. I thank all Members for their indulgence in my having to leave the Chamber on a few occasions for votes. I promise to drive on now and not stop. As many Members of the House shared personal stories of their grandparents, mothers, sisters or others, I will start by doing the same. Senator Conway, towards the end of the debate, touched on my personal experience of growing up. My mother was an integral part of our farming system. No big farm management decisions were made on the farm that she was not consulted about. She was a farmer on the ground but not on paper.”
“I look forward to working with her and all Members of the House as that Bill progresses through all Stages in the Dáil, the Seanad and at committee, as we put in place dog breeding establishment legislation that will take away some of the bad practices that happened in the past. That is something that I know Deputy Whitmore wants to do, as do I and my colleagues in government. I look forward to working with the Deputy and all Members of the House on that.”
“Nobody has a monopoly on passion or care for animals, including horses and dogs, or any other elements of animal welfare. As Minister with responsibility for animal welfare, I am determined to drive an agenda of change in a whole host of areas. I was part of the negotiations on the programme for Government when we transferred the control of dogs back to my Department, which is the right place for it. This is a clear outworking of that. What was agreed yesterday by the Cabinet was the heads of a Bill on dog control and how we approach dog breeding establishments. This is a key element of that. It is something in which Deputy Whitmore has a keen interest.”
“I thank Deputy O'Donoghue. I am delighted to see thousands of farmers and farm contractors applying for our fuel support scheme for them. That has a very clear definition. Under EU state aid rules, we have to define the activity and in this case it is agricultural production. The Government has committed to and is working on separate lines of support for those in the plant industry. Where agricultural contractors are using green diesel or marked gas oil and it is directly linked to the production of agricultural produce, that is covered under this scheme.”
“We supported the introduction of the RENURE measure, but it is not really of major benefit to us in its current form because of the lack of anaerobic digestion here. When the Deputy talks about us building our resilience, countries that have a lot of anaerobic digestion have digestate to go back out onto the land. From a water quality perspective, as well as our efforts to maintain the nitrates derogation, that would be greatly assisted if we had more anaerobic digestion in that space. That is where RENURE kicks in.”
“The fertiliser database gives us good data in relation to where we are at. Fertiliser continues to be imported into the country and the database indicates that is sufficient fertiliser in the country at present. However, products such as urea may come into short supply. We continue to monitor the price as well. To the broader point made by Deputy Moynihan about wind generation, one would not look at that in the context of Ireland alone. We will see what is in the European Commission's proposals in the action plan on fertiliser next week when it is published by Commissioner Hansen. We will see what the medium-term elements and supports are, but it is definitely a vulnerability for Europe that we are so dependent across Europe for this key component. The Deputy made a point about RENURE.”
“I am not aware of impediments, they have not been raised with me, but perhaps the issue is on the Northern side. We can see what the situation is. Deputy Moynihan referred to CBAM and that it is not the time to bring it in. Actually, inadvertently, CBAM has kind of been our friend in that because it was coming in on 1 January this year, importers front-loaded and this meant there was an extra stock of fertiliser in the country. The national fertiliser database gives us very clear information around where we are. Imports of CAN have increased by 55% and urea by 260%, so we are definitely aided by the fact that there is a lot more product in the country and the fertiliser industry continues to import more stocks. My Department is in very regular contact with the fertiliser importer to assess supply issues and address them.”
“In addition, there are proposals to provide a means of financially supporting farmers through targeted exceptional supports, which we also look forward to seeing the details of. It is expected that these proposals will contain measures to boost domestic production, promote sustainable practices and encourage the increased use of organic fertilisers and enhanced soil health to reduce dependency on synthetic products. In the context of the blockages Deputy Kenny outlined, I am happy to talk to him afterwards about them. I am in Armagh tomorrow morning for a sectoral meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, where I will be meeting my counterpart, Minister Muir. If the Deputy gives me further details, I will be happy to raise this with him tomorrow to see what the issue might be.”
“The geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East is the key driver of this problem. It has put pressure on fertiliser prices and affected the likely availability of fertiliser over the course of the year. As I said, the EU Commission is bringing forward a fertiliser action plan next week. It is anticipated that this plan will focus not only on short-term crisis support but also on structural measures to reduce EU dependency on imported synthetic fossil fuel-based fertilisers. Turning to Deputy Aindrias Moynihan’s point, there definitely is not just a short-term reaction here. We need to learn from what is happening to ensure we are not back in this situation every couple of years whenever there is a conflict.”
“I expect that fertiliser action plan to have a very significant series of proposals around the cost and availability of fertiliser and how that will impact us. That is something we await. The Commission is very clear on my views about the impact the conflict in the Middle East is having on the supply and price of fertiliser for our farmers and the knock-on impact that can have on food production into the future.”
“The question was very much formulated on the basis of what we are doing to build our resilience and address the vulnerability we have in this space, but as a short-term measure, I raised the need to invoke Article 27a of the CBAM at successive AGRIFISH Council meetings. This allows for the suspension of certain elements under certain set criteria. I believe we are in this crisis period now where fertiliser should be set aside as part of CBAM. I had the support of a number of other member states on this request. We pushed for it but the Commission, to date, has not been minded to avail of it. What Commissioner Hansen has pointed to very clearly is the introduction by the Commission of a fertiliser action plan, and that is due to be published next week, on 19 May.”
“My Department has no function in terms of fertiliser prices beyond the regulatory function of ensuring products placed on the market are in keeping with the fertiliser regulatory framework and that standards such as nutrient content are as described. However, I have continued to monitor the market situation given the negative impact that high fertiliser prices have had on farmers’ expenditure and profitability. I will continue to engage with my EU counterparts regarding the impact of the Middle East crisis on the supply and price of fertilisers. I have raised this issue on a number of occasions.”
“It is not just about what we spread on our land but also about the phosphorus and potassium, P and K, levels, acidity and composition of our land such that it can best take up those nutrients and be in the best condition to do so. This is where soil testing and lime application can, in the right circumstances and on the basis of those soil test results, make a significant difference. Depending on the type of fertiliser, increases in prices have varied. The price of CAN is estimated to have risen by about 20% since the beginning of March, while the price of urea has increased by as much as 60%.”
“Teagasc has a comprehensive information pack for farmers and their advisors, through a compendium of 20 fact sheets, to optimise the use of plant nutrients and to help farmers address the challenge of maintaining their farm outputs in the face of rising fertiliser costs and reduced availability. One of the answers to this question is that we are reducing our dependency on artificial fertiliser because that is what we need to do in order to make our farming and food production system more robust on this island, particularly as we do not have domestic production of artificial fertiliser. The fact sheets supplied by Teagasc cover issues of soil testing, lime application, nitrogen usage, organic manures, fertiliser spreading and many other topics that will be incredibly useful for farmers.”
“My Department continues to engage with fertiliser importers to monitor supply issues and concerns. Fertiliser product continues to arrive although challenges in supply exist, especially in the case of urea. It should be noted that many farmers and other fertiliser users forward-bought fertiliser earlier in the year. In addition, the Irish fertiliser industry purchased significant volumes of product in advance of the full introduction of the carbon border adjustment mechanism, CBAM. The national fertiliser database import figures show that fertiliser stocks increased significantly during the fourth quarter of 2025 with calcium ammonium nitrate, CAN, imports increasing by 55% and urea by 260%.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 98, 125 and 126 together. Ireland is a relatively small market in respect of fertiliser sales and usage compared with many of our EU neighbours. No fertilisers are manufactured in Ireland, as the Deputy knows, and this results in indigenous fertiliser companies being price-takers. Those prices are dependent on global supply and demand. An estimated 35% of global urea trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, plus 45% of sulphur exports and a significant volume of the ammonia used in nitrogen fertilisers. Overall it has been estimated 25% to 30% of global nitrogen fertiliser exports pass through the strait. The wider region is estimated to account for 45% of global urea exports, 27% of ammonia exports and 47% of sulphur exports.”
“A lot of this is about communication and ensuring we communicate very clearly the risks and hazards people might not be as aware of, how quickly these fires can take off and, as the Deputy said, how they have a disproportionate effect on an area. I again thank her for raising those points.”
“I again thank the Deputy for raising what is a really important issue. Sometimes we do not talk about these facts until after an incident when it is too late and the damage has affected our landscape, wildlife and farmers. It comes back a little to the relationship between landowners in the area and members of the public who maybe live in a more urban setting and love to share that amenity. That is where the Be Summer Ready campaign is really important. Obviously farmers are well aware, as custodians of the land, of what needs to be done, what their responsibilities are and what the penalties are if they are acting on the wrong side of the law but the public have to be acutely aware their actions have very real consequences.”
“Farmers are older, there is less generational renewal on our hill farms and it is work for younger farmers but if that scrub and uncultivated land is not cleared it can be a tinder box at a dry time of the year. There was an official fire danger notice issued only a few weeks ago and I was struck this had been necessary after the wettest winter we have had, a very wet early spring and before we are even really in the summer. It goes to show how quickly, with climate change, our land can dry with a very drying wind and the risk that creates for the high-risk period we are in. It is about enforcement of very clear rules where there is bad practice but also about supporting people so they are aware of the rules and what they can do in that important period.”
“I do not disagree. The Deputy articulated very clearly how her constituents in the Cooleys, and people in many mountainous areas countrywide, are deeply affected by wildfires that happen for a variety of reasons. Obviously some of what she described is criminal activity with very serious consequences for our wildlife, habitats and countryside and needs to be dealt with. It is important to recognise landowners may carry out controlled fires on uncultivated land from 1 September each year to the last day of February. This is only allowed if it is done in a controlled manner and provided the landowner follows the correct safety procedures. Uncultivated land is land that is not normally farmed or managed. That controlled burning is probably something that happens less now, for a variety of reasons.”
“My Department monitors for activity closely and fires on agricultural land are investigated in relation to basic payments, or BISS, eligibility. My Department has no role in prosecutions under the Wildlife Act 1976. That clearly outlines the work that comes under and the responsibility of my Department regarding wildfires and the challenges in that space. As I said, it is one of those issues that crosses more than just my Department.”
“My Department maintains a website with relevant information on fire risks, prevention and specific guidance on responsible use of fire by landowners. My Department also provides specific wildfire safety advice to the general public via the whole-of-government Be Summer Ready campaign. My Department also co-ordinates on fire management with the European Union and other member states via the European forest fire expert group and also via the FORRISK forest risk facility coordinated by the European Forest Institute. It is an offence to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy any vegetation growing on any land not cultivated between 1 March and 31 August in any year. Landowners found burning illegally could face fines, imprisonment and single farm payment penalties, where applicable.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 143 together. My Department implements a number of measures annually to raise awareness of fire risks among forest owners, managers, farmers and other land managers. My Department monitors fire risk throughout the fire season in conjunction with Met Éireann and communicates high-risk fire weather phases in advance to the forest sector and other relevant stakeholders, including local authorities via fire danger notices. This enables preparedness and readiness of key equipment and personnel ahead of fire outbreaks. In the year to date my Department has issued two such notices. In 2025 my Department issued nine fire danger notices. Fire danger notices may be viewed on my Department's website.”
“That is renewable energy, but it is also low-emission slurry spreading, support for organic farmers, farm safety, increased slurry storage and improved water quality. All of those things are in the mix with TAMS, so it makes it competitive when demand is high.”
“The challenge is that if everything is a priority then nothing is a priority. I have 11 headings under TAMS and I have to try to manage that. It is the targeted agricultural measures scheme. When demand far outstrips supply something has to give. On that basis it felt fair to me that a residential house be taken out as opposed to farming activity. The intensive energy user on a farm benefited most from being able to apply for TAMS. It is a targeted agricultural measure. There are other ways for residential houses to get in there. I take the point that it would be better to have one central application process. I like that we were able to support farmers in reducing their energy requirements. TAMS is aligned to our climate and sustainability targets.”
“A total of €31.5 million was issued to farmers since payments commenced in June 2024. It is attractive and that is what made it very popular. There is no doubt that if we had more money we would spend it. If the SEAI wants to give me a slice of that budget or any other, we would spend it in that area.”
“People will think I put the Deputy up to that question because he is singing my tune. The Department of agriculture and farmers have proved there is a demand to try to make their farms less dependent on fossil fuel energy. We have proved that if I have more money, I can spend it on that. This is in the context of an increased capital budget. The reason more people are disappointed now is that more people have applied. The average number of applications under TAMS 2 was approximately 3,000 per tranche. In the most recent application it was over 8,000, which was a massive increase in demand. You can see how resource heavy it has been on the overall TAMS budget. A total of 6,000 applications were received under SCIS and 3,425 approvals were issued allowing farmers to proceed with their investments.”
“I cannot do that to farmers who need increased slurry storage or who want to invest under farm safety measures. There is a lot more than just the solar element to it. You see the significant drain on resources. I would love to be able to change that percentage and make it bigger if it were there, but this is about policy priorities and trying to design them. The SEAI is there from that perspective as well.”
“In addition, in respect of SCIS, it is also necessary to concentrate the funding on on-farm consumption only. However, it is important to highlight that farmers can seek support through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, for the installation of solar systems in respect of their domestic dwelling. The SEAI business grant is also available to the agricultural sector, including farmers, which is a further option for those keen to explore renewable energy generation. In simple terms, I negotiated an increase in my capital budget last year and got €88 million for TAMS this year and next year. It is for the entire CAP strategic plan, so I have to manage the budget available to the end of 2027. I could accept every application that comes in now and not have any TAMS available in 2027.”
“The targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS 3, provides grants to farmers to build, improve, or both, a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. The solar capital investment scheme, SCIS, is one of 11 schemes within TAMS 3. The number of applications and the level of funding provided to date under a number of TAMS 3 schemes, including the solar capital investment scheme, have far exceeded expectations. To date, a substantial proportion of the total TAMS budget, more than 20%, has been spent on SCIS alone. In order to ensure that the available budget for TAMS is distributed fairly over the remainder of the CAP strategic plan programme period, it is necessary to limit the number of approved applications in recent tranches by applying ranking and selection criteria.”
“There is cattle and wildlife transmission, and we are addressing all parts of it. I received a record amount of money in the budget last year of €157 million for my new bovine TB plan. That was based on working towards eradication and turning the dial on the increased numbers and bringing them back. All of the focus of that money was to be on reducing the instances. It was not open to me under the conditions of that to open up compensation and ceiling caps. I would like to revisit it. I understand the challenge, but I have to focus the money I have on reducing that disease.”
“I thank the Deputy for his comment on biosecurity measures. It is fencing off a sett and keeping cattle back. It is not about keeping the badger back in from the cattle. The cattle nose in around the latrine where the sett is and that has been a considerable cause of the spread of disease. Having that practical measure where farmers identify the sett and fence it off will make a difference as will new water troughs. It was important to support farmers in those efforts. We just finalised the tender process to increase staffing in the area of wildlife control. Most farmers affected by bovine TB only want to talk about wildlife. They are convinced that is it. This planned approach is identifying all elements of the cause and spread of infection. There is residual infection in herds as I referenced earlier.”
“This is happening because we do not have one test that is 100% foolproof. The annual herd skin test that farmers are familiar with only has 80% efficacy. One out of every five that goes through that tests negative but is positive, and that has been a key contributor to the disease. When we layer on the blood testing it increases our efficacy to over 90% but we do not have something that is 100%.”
“The difficulty is with identifying whether a vaccinated animal tests positive; animals that test positive and vaccinated animals cannot be differentiated. Some research has been done and we have collaborated with research projects on vaccination in the UK and beyond. Vaccination masks the presence of the disease and we need to find it to eradicate it. All of my measures are about identifying it and seeding it out. When I speak about the focus on breeding stock, it is because 6%, give or take, of our herds in the country have it. A lot of these young maiden heifers were sold to low-risk farms, so unbeknownst to those farmers they had brought in a high-risk animal, which was then seeding the disease. We need to identify these animals earlier in the initial herd and get them removed so they do not spread the disease.”
“It will put a bit of power back in their hands as well because farmers regularly feel pretty powerless when it comes to a potential bovine TB outbreak.”
“A reduction in bovine TB levels in breeding herds, especially dairy herds, is a key element in driving down bovine TB levels nationally. In simple terms, every measure in this is there for a reason. It is backed by science and it is targeting where the spread of disease has been the biggest contributor. I also established a new bovine TB helpline for farmers who enter a new TB breakdown. This helpline will provide practical support and advice to farmers on the bovine TB breakdown process. This week a new on-farm badger biosecurity scheme has been opened for applications. I have put €6 million towards it to support farmers with simple practical on-farm interventions, such as fencing off badger setts and raising water troughs. These will have a significant impact and I am financially supporting farmers to make these interventions.”