TB decline continues in Galway with a 6% reduction

THE number of bovine TB reactors in Galway has continued to fall through 2015 mirroring the national trend in bovine disease decline.

In 2015, there were 848 reactors in Co. Galway, down 60 or 6% from the 2014 figure of 1,008 and continuing on a trend of declining reactor number over the past eight years.

Nationally there were 15,317 reactors in 2015, down 828 or 5% from the 16,145 figure for 2014 and in line with Dept. of Agriculture targets for a TB free national herd by 2030.

Galway IFA Livestock Chairman, Michael Flynn, said that the trends were very encouraging both from a county and national perspective.

He said that tremendous progress had been made since 2008 when there were approximately 40,000 reactors across the country – this figure had dropped by about 25,000 over the past seven years, a percentage decline of around 62%.

“Greater control in relation to infected wildlife such as deer, and especially badgers, over recent years, has certainly played a major role in the improved figures,” said Michael Flynn.

However he advised farmers to continue to be on their guard both in relation to buying in livestock and as regards risk infection from wildlife.

“Simple enough precautions such as having outdoor drinking tanks raised off the ground to prevent any badger contamination should be considered,” said Michael Flynn.

He added that there were some small areas of the county that had still had problems with TB but measures were being put in place especially where farms areas of woodland.

“We are heading in the right direction as regards the pretty dramatic decline in reactors from 2008 to 2015 – what we need to do now is to redouble our efforts to keep the figures going down each year.

“For generations, TB has been a scourge in our cattle herd and we must all strive to try and reach the day when we have got rid of it completely,” said Michael Flynn.