January 17, 2024

 

Consultation in Northern Ireland, UK, seeks to lower compensation for cattle with bovine tuberculosis

 

 

A consultation on reducing compensation rates for cattle with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) has begun in Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom.

 

It follows an instruction from the Northern Ireland secretary to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) in light of public expenditure pressures.

 

Farmers are currently compensated on a full market value basis for each animal.

 

Compensation made up £38 million (US$48.5 million) of the record £53 million (US$68 million) cost of the 2022/23 bTB programme.

 

Northern Ireland's Daera is seeking views on whether the payment should be reduced on a phased basis. That would see the amount paid reduced to 90% in the first year of implementation and 75% a year later.

 

The consultation will run for eight weeks.

 

It consists of a single question: "Do you agree that public expenditure savings should be made by reducing the compensation rate for animals removed under the bTB programme?"

 

The cattle industry is worth £2.1 billion (US$2.7 billion) a year to the Northern Irish economy.

 

However, disease rates have risen since 2020. At the same time, increased market values mean the bTB programme has seen a significant rise in costs, particularly in compensation.

 

According to Daera, the costs of the bTB programme "cannot be sustained".

 

- BBC