Nearly 5,000 Northern Irish farmers have responded to a consultation proposing to cut the compensation rate for cattle removed under the bTB programme.
This is the largest number of responses to date on a bovine TB consultation proposal in Northern Ireland.
The controversial proposal, unveiled by the Department of Agriculture (DAERA), seeks to slash compensation by up to 25 percent over a period of 2 years.
Presently, farmers in the region receive 100% of the market value of their stock.
Figures show that in Northern Ireland, 1,500 cattle are culled every month due to bovine TB.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), which called the proposals 'barbaric', said the levels of response from farmers 'is to be commended'.
The union added that it sends a strong message to the DAERA Minister on farmers' feelings on this subject.
UFU president David Brown said: “The UFU would like to thank all farmers who took the time to make their voice heard and respond to DAERA’s TB consultation.
"Whilst we will have to await the official publication of the summary of responses, our members can take some comfort that in a previous consultation in 2021, 94.77% of respondents were opposed to the proposed amendments.
"The huge increase in the number of consultees who responded sends a strong message. DAERA can sustainability reduce the cost of the TB programme by tackling the disease, rather than devaluing cattle’s worth after the animals have fallen victim to a disease.
“The UFU remain determined to ensure none of the barbaric proposals come to pass and will continue to exhaust every avenue to safeguard the future of NI’s agri industry.”
DAERA's consultation closed for responses on 8 March.
