WATCH: Laois TD slams new 'drastic, devastating, draconian' farm curbs

Laois Fine Gael TD broke ranks with one of the Minister for Agriculture's key proposals to curb the spread of TB on farms.

Willie Aird spoke out in the Dáil, where Minister Martin Heydon outlined measures on the table to restrict the spread. A question was raised with the Minister for Agriculture, on Tuesday, May 20 around the TB Eradication programme.

Dep Aird challenged Minister Heydon on a proposal to restrict the sale of certain cows from breeding herds of greater than 60 cows that have had an outbreak of TB with three or more standard reactors in the previous three years to other breeding herds. The Portlaoise-based farmer demanded a change.

"I would describe it as a drastic move to curb a farmer from selling his or her stock in a mart for up to three years. Does the Minister realise what he is doing to farmers, people like myself who get up every morning and work?

"There is no guarantee about this. We are talking about something that got worse and worse despite the money that was invested in the scheme. There is no guarantee that taking a draconian step like this would have any effect. This would be a stigma attached to farmers like myself where, at the end of the day, there is no guarantee that anything would change.

"I want to know who came up with this idea. What scientific results does that person have to prove that something like this will happen? It is like we are saying we will try this, and it might work. Something like this would have a devastating effect on Irish farmers," he said.

Minister Heydon replied to his party colleague.

"There are two key priorities for me. I know the emotional turmoil there is with having a reactor – the impact it has on families as well as the financial impact. The two clear priorities I have is to ensure that those farmers and farm families that are currently affected or will be affected in the future by a bovine TB breakdown have a clear pathway out of that and that we ensure that fewer are affected in future.

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"The scale of the challenge at the minute is significant and deteriorating, so it cannot be business as usual. In the whole of 2020, my Department spent €20 million on compensation for farmers who had reactors and breakdowns. We spent €20 million compensating farmers in the first four months of this year. That is the trajectory we are dealing with, so it cannot be business as usual, but I guarantee that any measures adopted are based on the best scientific and veterinary advice. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

"Through strong leadership by all involved in the programme and by working together, we can bring in the necessary measures, as Deputy Burke outlined, that will make a meaningful difference, stop this infection increasing and drive down its spread greatly so that we can get back to credibly talking about eradication again," he said.

Around 30 proposals were outlined at a recent emergency meeting between the Department of Agriculture and key stakeholders, which included farming organisations, cattle mart operators, and the National Parks & Wildlife Service.