'We can't keep doing the same thing': Calls for Northern Ireland TB shakeup as annual cost hits £60m

A Northern Ireland farmer whose cattle have been infected with bovine tuberculosis for 30 of the past 50 years has said something has to change.

John Carson told UTV many farming families were having sleepless nights over the crisis.

"We can't keep doing the same thing," he said.

The Department for Agriculture has said there could be potential wildlife interventions later this year.

John Carson farms with his son Jonathan just outside Downpatrick, and their dairy herd is currently restricted because three reactors were found at their latest routine testing.

In 2020, they had a complete cull in the mouth of Christmas. The cows were pregnant at the time and were close to dropping their calves, and he recalls this as being a particularly dark time.

This is a problem known too well by cattle farmers across NI, as statistics from February show there are incidences of the disease in one in ten herds, up from 6% ten years earlier in 2015.

The farmer is now calling for change to end this decades old problem which cost the NI government £55million in 2023 to 2024 and over £400m in the last 20 years.

Mr Carson believes the skin test is not catching enough reactors, that compensation does not reflect the loss farmers endure, that tight farm biosecurity is not enough if other host species are not dealt with, and that it is cruel that he cannot interfere with infected badgers he sees suffering on his own land.

There are dozens of badgers on Mr Carson’s land which was clear to see from the big network of setts, but this has been proven beyond doubt after a team from QUB used thermal imaging to investigate the badgers living side by side with his dairy herd.

New technology reveals ten times more badgers than previously thought: 'How can policy be right, if the data shaping it is so wrong?'

Professor Jaimie Dick works in invasion ecology across marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. He heads up research programmes with PhD students to bring new data to problems, which can then feed into policy and practice.

Prof Dick is very proud of new thermal imaging technology which has “turned night into day”, allowing his team to observe and count badgers like never before on farms including John Carson's, leading to shocking revelations.

He believes this state-of-the-art tech has shown that there are ten times more badgers in NI than the last “proper study” in 2007/08 counted, which has “massive implications” for policy. 

He said: “If 30% of badgers have TB, which is a conservative estimate, 30% of what? 200 or 2000? 300 or 3000? That has massive implications for test, vaccinate, remove and wildlife intervention.

“What we are doing now for the first time in those 18 years, is formally putting together with new technology, the ability to report to whoever wants to listen, ‘these are the badger numbers. What are you going to do with that information with respect to your policy?”

Listen and watch as Prof Dick explains his findings and how they could mean policy is not best informed.

A 2022 strategy from former Agriculture Minister had included a limited badger cull in a "targeted intervention", but animal rights groups challenged this in court and in 2023 the High Court halted those plans, on the basis that the consultation was flawed.

Prior to that, trials of a Test, Vaccinate and Remove programme ran for the five years up to 2018 in the Rathfriland area. It involved the capture of badgers, sampling, micro-chipping and vaccination with the removal of any infected badgers.

For Mr Carson's part, he believes it is inhumane that those which are on his land and are visibly suffering cannot legally be shot, while he would get in trouble for leaving any other animal in such a condition.

"We love the badger, we just want clean badgers," he said.

Deer also host TB, and can legally be controlled by those with the appropriate license.

"Currently, there is limited knowledge of the role of other wildlife species, and particularly deer in the epidemiology of bovine TB in NI, with further ecological and epidemiological research required to assess whether intervention is warranted," the Chief Veterinary Officer's November 2024 review of Bovine TB said.

"In the meantime, it is proposed that in those geographical areas of concern, deer should be managed to minimise those risk factors that are known to facilitate the establishment and perpetuation of deer as a maintenance host."

That same report announced a new steering group would be formed. This group is tasked with working together to find a solution that suits all impacted parties.

The TB Partnership Steering Group includes the Association of Veterinary Surgeons Practising in Northern Ireland, the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, the Livestock & Meat Commission, the NI Agricultural Producers’ Association, Northern Ireland Badger Group, the Livestock Auctioneers’ Association, Meat Exporters’ Association, USPCA, Ulster Farmer's Union and Ulster Wildlife.

UTV put various concerns raised to DAERA and a statement was issued in relation to each one.

TESTING: "The TB skin test is out of date and does not catch as many reactors as other forms of testing such as blood tests or faecal tests. We need to do something different." 

A DAERA statement said: "The tuberculin skin test is recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as the standard method for detection of tuberculosis in live cattle and many other species. Tuberculin skin testing is approved for use in EU approved TB Eradication Programmes and therefore suitable for use in Northern Ireland. The Comparative Intradermal Tuberculin Test (CITT) is the main test for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle in Northern Ireland. 

"The only other EU approved test is the interferon gamma (IFNg) blood test. The IFNg assay is used as a supplementary test in certain circumstances to improve the detection of infection in herds infected with bTB. 

"Other tests for diagnosing bTB have been developed, some of which are not approved by the WOAH, and none of which have been approved for use in EU eradication programmes. Most of these novel diagnostic tests for bovine TB have not been validated yet, meaning that their performance characteristics (such as sensitivity, specificity, etc.) have not been fully evaluated and approved. For the Department to adopt a new test, even as a supplementary test to the approved EU tests, it would have to be WOAH approved. In addition, the Department would need to be satisfied that there is proven evidence in relation to its test characteristics and that the use would benefit the bTB Programme in NI.

"Actions within the Bovine Tuberculosis in Northern Ireland: Blueprint for Eradication include proposals aimed at maximising the sensitivity of the skin test, increasing the use of IFNg testing, and the development of a policy to support herd keepers who wish to use private/alternative tests."

COMPENSATION: "The TB Compensation scheme does not compensate for lost liveweight gain, milk yield, future calves, genetics and so on as it only pays out for current market value. Although the cost per year is tens of millions, this is still not good enough. "

"DAERA is required by legislation to pay compensation for cattle slaughtered for the control of Bovine Tuberculosis," the statement said.

"This is paid at 100% of the market value of the bovine slaughtered.  In the last financial year, £43.1million was paid in compensation to herd owners.  This high amount reflects both the unacceptably high level of bTB currently in Northern Ireland coupled with an increase in cattle prices.  

"The department is also acutely aware that compensation does not cover consequential losses to farm businesses and recognises the financial and operational impact such losses have. The TB Partnership Steering Group in the Bovine TB in Northern Ireland: Blueprint for Eradication recommended that that additional support measures should be explored.  

"However, as the cost to the taxpayer of bTB compensation has risen by over £20million compared with five years ago and the Department has had to bid for additional public money during recent financial years to cover these costs, any request for additional support for farmers suffering a TB herd breakdown would be made in a difficult financial environment. "

BADGER NUMBERS: "Badger numbers are grossly underestimated as the 2007 survey is out of date and incorrect... Experts say this means policy is ill informed as it is not yet using correct up to date data." 

A written reply stated: "It is acknowledged that the most recent comprehensive data on badger numbers currently in use are from 2007/2008, and we recognise that this information is now out of date. Ideally, these data would be updated; however, conducting a new national badger survey would require significant resources, both in terms of time and funding.  

"The only more recent published data (Menzies et al 2021) estimated the badger population in a 100 km2 area of Co. Down to be 560 badgers, which is a slightly higher estimate than predicted by the QUB model based on the 2007/08 estimated results (Reid et al 2012).

"With regard to the recent work by Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), while we are aware of their ongoing research, it is important to note that this work remains at the experimental stage and has not yet been peer reviewed. As such, any findings, including the suggestion of significantly higher badger densities, must be treated with caution until they are independently validated through rigorous scientific processes.

"We remain committed to evidence-based policy and continue to monitor developments in research closely."

Test, Vaccinate Remove: "It was cruel to stop plans for TVR as it means that infected badgers are left to suffer. Farmers feel it is inhumane that they cannot interfere with a badger that is clearly infected." 

"Bovine TB is present in both cattle and badgers in Northern Ireland," the statement said. 

"Officials continue to work on the issues and gaps identified by the judicial review ruling of October 2023 which overturned the proposal in the 2022 TB Eradication Strategy for a non-selective cull of badgers in areas of high badger density and high bTB rates in cattle.  

"This work involves updating advice on potential wildlife intervention options (including Test and Vaccinate or Remove), assessing the scientific, financial, and legislative aspects of each option.  The minister has asked for this work to be completed as soon as possible.  Subject to the minister’s consideration, it is intended to consult on possible wildlife intervention options later this year." 

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