Restricted Herd

Sparkles2012

I was just wondering how soon do the Department notify you if your herd is restricted due to a neighboring farm after going down with TB? Where on AG Food will it say the herd is restricted?

Injuryprone

It took them about a fortnight with me earlier this month. You can check movement eligibility on agfood

PoorFarmer

We got a letter earlier on this year when our neighbour went down. Had sold a bull between the time the letter was sent and it was received. Got a phone call from the DVO when the movement was done on Agfood but they allowed it anyway. Could see no version of the restriction letter on Agfood either at the time.

There is some kind of dis-connect between the DVO system and Agfood anyway. I was speaking to them a few months back for my fathers herd and they could give me no information as I wasn't a registered correspondent on his behalf on their system. Am a registered correspondent on the DAFM Agfood system and have no bother ever with them. They sent him out a different form for their records and it's fine now. God forbid they would all be using the same thing.

Danny healy ray

you get a text messages from department to say your herd is lock up from now if there us a bad out break near by and you haven't do a tb test in a few months

mr.stonewall

Last time it was a phonecall from the dept before the letter. Was a bit of an outbreak with neighbours and I had to test. I had 2 reactors on a Thursday and neighbours had phonecalls from the Dept on Friday morning locking them up pending a test.

grass10

I think lads get confused between locked up and getting a letter saying a neighbour has tb, your herd is only restricted if you have tb or animals that left your herd showed up with tb afterwards your herd is not restricted because a neighbour has tb you may have to do extra testing but you are not restricted

PoorFarmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122287013#Comment_122287013

We were told we could not sell anything else until we had a passed TB test even though all animals had been tested 9 months beforehand. I would consider that a restriction especially this spring with fodder shortages etc..

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122287013#Comment_122287013

You can be restricted due a neighbours having a tb breakdown until you have a clear test. It happened me 2 years ago and I only had the annual herd test 3 months before.

Every breakdown is different and if there is a potential problem with wildlife in an area or due to movements they will go mad testing and locking up pending tests

grass10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122287193#Comment_122287193

Their had to be some other reason beyond your neighbour having a reactor, with the last 2/3 years everyone adjoining me has had tb some many different occasions at no time have I ever been restricted I have been under 4 month testing the whole time have a large stockpile of dept letters telling me about my x or Mr y being either restricted or de restricted and have got letters about farmers that are a couple of miles away with no land near me telling me that they are restricted but the dept cannot restricted you because of a neighbour its usually because you are gone beyond your test time or an animal you sold subsequently showed up with tb

PoorFarmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122287403#Comment_122287403

There was no other reason on our side anyway. We are classed C10(0) and have been since the system came in. Animals were 3 months in test as our herd test was always done in July to suit school holidays. April this year we got the notification. If it was gone beyond the test time then the bull I sold would have been flagged on Agfood as being ineligible for movement anyway.

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122287598#Comment_122287598

We are also C10 (0) and our annual herd test was always in May. Two years ago two neighbours that have land on both sides of us went down with TB and we were told that we couldn't sell until we passed a clear test. We had to do another full herd test in September which I was really worried about but thankfully we passed. We were due another test the following January as we were put on a four month testing cycle. The other two herds came clear in the meantime so we didn't have to test that January.

Anto_Meath

It's not just your own herd test you have to worry about... neighbour went down with 2 on Tuesday, I got this text on Friday.

Screenshot_20240922_085256_Messages.jpg

I am due my annual herd test end of October anyway so no big deal... but as someone said a while ago you don't really own your own stock.

whelan2

We sold a couple of heifers a couple of weeks ago to a herd in cavan. That was on a Monday they got a call that Friday they were restricted. We assumed it was because it was 6 months since we tested-by 1 fecking day - that they'd have to test the animals. They had had a herd test in August I think, recently enough anyway.No answer from dvo friday so had to wait whole weekend. The department have them listed for a tb test as all neighbouring farms are restricted and they found it strange nothing went down on the tb test. Also full farm inspection... very important to make sure movements are up to date. Dont move animals without a valid movement

Anto_Meath

That's really weird, I have been on 4 month testing because of neighbours been restricted & if I didn't test after 4 months I would be locked. My friend went down with a cow in his test in the spring, (she was clear in the factory) two clear tests & came clear end of May, he got a letter this week telling him he is locked again & has to test as its 4 months since his clear test.. I am convinced they want every herd in the country lock and to be testing them every 2 months.

DukeCaboom

What I find down here is every time the head vet changes in our district....the rules change each one wants to out their own stamp on it and move up the ladder with the next promotion.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122642347#Comment_122642347

It's natural that a new person will want to do better than their predecessor, but other than badger elimination, and full restriction of cow movements, neither of which they can put in place, what tools do they really have.

We will only ever move this on with a vaccination programme of the herd.

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122642066#Comment_122642066

I remember reading an article earlier last year could have been either on IFJ or Agriland about how DAFM were using AI to predict pockets of TB. I will try to find the article but my immediate reaction upon reading it was and still is that the skin test has been a sham for the last 50 years.

Edit to add link -

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/how-artificial-intelligence-is-used-at-the-dafm/

Anto_Meath

I could be cruel and say its about time they brought some form of intelligence into the Department to deal with the TB.. what is it 50 or 60 years and they are still no nearer to eradicating it..

blue5000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122643301#Comment_122643301

I'd say it's closer to 70. Neighbour gone down again and no official letter yet.

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122643301#Comment_122643301

Takes a special type of genius to keep a scam running that long is my opinion on that one 🤣

Anto_Meath

True but sure look at the BVD testing.. it was only ment to be a 3 year program if I remember correctly and sure it must be 10 years going now & it will continue for another few I would say. Very easy to find positives now when there is no re-testing.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648013#Comment_122648013

If you were given carte blanche to set up a TB eradication scheme, how would you run it?

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122651098#Comment_122651098

You wouldn't be let get away with my first idea but the second one is just vaccinating and be done with it if it was done when it should there would be no problem with tb

The first one is cull hard on deer and badgers (exterminate if needed). There's no other options the department are too lax and too wishy washy the vets testing really don't want it to go soooo..... and as for people avoiding detection for a while etc (completely shooting themselves in both feet i know )..

how would you solve it.🤔🤔🤔

We could try homeopathic methods. Tie one to a stake like Argentina.

Anything to be said for another mass

Anto_Meath

There is a dealer near me who buys some very poor looking stock and is regularly restricted, I assume he is running a number of herd numbers as he never stops buying. But his practice is infecting neighbouring herd & I would guess wildlife. I would say there is plenty like him all over the country, the department need to deal with the likes of him, destock him for a while or something. They are bound to be able to see the cattle moving into his herd(s) and how he is so regularly restricted. Like he has had a number of reactors every year for the last number of years, does it raise any questions.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122651298#Comment_122651298

Vaccination has to be the only hope

https://tbhub.co.uk/resources/frequently-asked-questions/development-of-a-deployable-tuberculosis-vaccine-for-cattle/

Stationmaster

Did I read somewhere lately that Scotland have it eradicated or very close to it? How was that done?

I'm only new into farming (3 years) and got locked up last winter with my weanlings and no slatted house for them - I cannot get over how ridiculous the system is here. I've another test Tuesday week and I'm absolutely bricking it.

trixi2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122653438#Comment_122653438

Scotland has no tb in the wildlife and generally only test every 4 years .Scotland has tb free statis but there would be pockets in certain areas and occasional outbreaks. Anyone importing stock from Ireland or Europe has annual testing . Testing over there is a lot stricter than you would see in Ireland with skin thickness measured on every animal before testing