Press Release - Joint approach required from NI~s farm representatives so..........

Joint approach required from NI’s farm representatives so Province’s best possible contribution to All-Island animal health strategy can be secured. 

The National Beef Association is keen to work with other livestock farmer’s representatives in Northern Ireland to put together a disease eradication strategy which, after further discussion with the Stormont Government, should become the Province’s contribution to the construction of an all-Ireland disease control programme working with the ROI veterinary and government authorities.

The NBA is also keen to persuade the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DARD) to provide funds to kick-start the Northern Ireland BVD IBR Lepto and Johnnies program which is currently run by AFBI but has a poor uptake.; and feels there is more chance of achieving this if the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA) and Northern Ireland Veterinary Association demonstrate their support as well.

This plan of action comes from the NBA’s attendance at a breakthrough meeting held in Co.Cavan in the Republic yesterday (Monday April 12th) which was attended by Ministers, officials, and farm representatives from both sides of the border - and which resulted in broad agreement that a range of cattle diseases,  TB,  Brucellosis, BVD, Leptospirosis, IBR and Johnes’ should be simultaneously tackled by a co-ordinated government, farmer, and veterinary effort jointly driven by the North-South administrations.

“The NBA is particularly pleased that endemic cattle complaints like BVD and IBR will be embraced within the strategy with the same eradication vigour as TB and brucellosis,” said the NBA’s representative at the meeting, its Northern Ireland chairman, Oisin Murnion.

“NBA had lobbied at Stormont beforehand to make sure they, as well as Lepto and Johnes’, were on the All-island Animal Health and Welfare Strategy agenda and was delighted when they were treated with equal seriousness by veterinary representatives from Dublin during Monday’s meeting.”

“The damage to the cattle industry from BVD and the other, ever-present, scourges is almost beyond calculation and if they are either reduced, or removed, the benefit to all cattle farmers through noticeably lower production costs, and much easier access for more breeding stock to all-important export markets, would be almost immediate.”

“It is vitally important that Northern Ireland does not allow its cattle health standards to fall behind those in other EU countries that are primary outlets for our stock and the development of an all-Island health improvement programme will make it quicker and easier to achieve positive results.”

“The combining of Northern Ireland’s livestock representatives to put together a joint disease eradication plan is the first step in this urgent process and the NBA pledges to take a positive, and pro-active, role in ensuring that this takes place.”

“This move should be quickly followed by meetings with DARD to finalise the Province’s contribution to discussion which will establish the framework upon which the All Island disease control programme will be built.”

“And at the same time a request to DARD from all three of the Province’s livestock farming representatives for the speedy donation of funds to be used to enhance the depth and expertise of the Northern Ireland efforts to construct the best possible framework for its contribution to the All-Island health improvement programme would be more difficult to turn down,” Mr Murnion added.

For more information contact:

Oisin Murnion, Northern Ireland Chairman of the National Beef Association.
Tel. 07739 632048