BSE case detected on Headford farm
Denise Horan
A HEADFORD farmer is this week facing the slaughter of his entire dairy herd, after a positive case of BSE was found in a 12-year-old animal on his farm.
The Department of Agriculture and Food's BSE statistics reveal that two cases of the deadly disease were detected in the week ending February 17, and an official from County Galway's Veterinary Office confirmed to The Mayo News on Monday that the case occurred close to the Mayo border, in the Headford region.
Following the detection, which was officially made on Thursday last, the value of the farmer's herd will now be assessed and the herd purchased by the Department. The animals will then all be removed from the farm and destroyed.
Commenting on the detection - a rarity in the Mayo/Galway region in recent years - Mayo IFA Chairman, Mr Michael Biggins, who lives and farms in neighbouring Glencorrib, said that it was a very difficult time for the farmer in question and his family, and it was not helped by the delay in having the herd slaughtered.
"From an IFA point of view, we would be seeking the speedy removal of animals in cases where BSE is detected. It frequently takes a few weeks for the animals to be removed and, in the meantime, the farmer must continue to tend to the animals, knowing that they are going to be destroyed. That in itself is soul-destroying for the farmer. The whole thing should be expedited by the Department, so that the farmer's hardship is not added to," he said.
According to the Galway veterinary official, the process of removing the animals normally takes two to three weeks to be completed, and involves the slaughter of the full herd. A month must then elapse before the farmer can re-stock.
The trauma of the detection itself is compounded for the farmer by the fact that no compensation is given for loss of earnings, according to Mr Biggins.
"The farmer is paid for the animals, but that's all. He's not compensated for the loss of milk, nor is there any compensation for the numerous weeks that he's out of production. And the worst part is that in almost 100% of these cases the farmer is entirely blameless; the contamination comes from manufactured meal and has nothing to do with the innocent farmer. It's a lottery really," he said.
There has been a substantial reduction in BSE cases in Ireland in the last three years, 44% between 2004 and 2005 alone. So far this year, 12 cases have been detected in Ireland.
http://www.mayonews.ie/current/news.tmpl$showpage?value1=33495081191169674
TSS
Denise Horan
A HEADFORD farmer is this week facing the slaughter of his entire dairy herd, after a positive case of BSE was found in a 12-year-old animal on his farm.
The Department of Agriculture and Food's BSE statistics reveal that two cases of the deadly disease were detected in the week ending February 17, and an official from County Galway's Veterinary Office confirmed to The Mayo News on Monday that the case occurred close to the Mayo border, in the Headford region.
Following the detection, which was officially made on Thursday last, the value of the farmer's herd will now be assessed and the herd purchased by the Department. The animals will then all be removed from the farm and destroyed.
Commenting on the detection - a rarity in the Mayo/Galway region in recent years - Mayo IFA Chairman, Mr Michael Biggins, who lives and farms in neighbouring Glencorrib, said that it was a very difficult time for the farmer in question and his family, and it was not helped by the delay in having the herd slaughtered.
"From an IFA point of view, we would be seeking the speedy removal of animals in cases where BSE is detected. It frequently takes a few weeks for the animals to be removed and, in the meantime, the farmer must continue to tend to the animals, knowing that they are going to be destroyed. That in itself is soul-destroying for the farmer. The whole thing should be expedited by the Department, so that the farmer's hardship is not added to," he said.
According to the Galway veterinary official, the process of removing the animals normally takes two to three weeks to be completed, and involves the slaughter of the full herd. A month must then elapse before the farmer can re-stock.
The trauma of the detection itself is compounded for the farmer by the fact that no compensation is given for loss of earnings, according to Mr Biggins.
"The farmer is paid for the animals, but that's all. He's not compensated for the loss of milk, nor is there any compensation for the numerous weeks that he's out of production. And the worst part is that in almost 100% of these cases the farmer is entirely blameless; the contamination comes from manufactured meal and has nothing to do with the innocent farmer. It's a lottery really," he said.
There has been a substantial reduction in BSE cases in Ireland in the last three years, 44% between 2004 and 2005 alone. So far this year, 12 cases have been detected in Ireland.
http://www.mayonews.ie/current/news.tmpl$showpage?value1=33495081191169674
TSS
