The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is monitoring a bovine tuberculosis hotspot in north Kerry and west Limerick on a day-to-day basis, Minister of State Niall Collins has said, describing the local rise in disease levels as a matter of significant concern.
Addressing the Listowel Food Fair Farming Seminar on Monday, November 9, at the Listowel Arms Hotel, Collins told a large attendance of farmers from across the region that the department was very aware of the emotional and financial challenge a TB breakdown creates for farm families and their communities. He said the increase in north Kerry and in his own west Limerick was worrying and running above the national average.
National incidence falls
The latest department statistics, covering the 12 months to September 27, 2026, put national herd incidence at 5.40%, down from 6.08%. Restricted herds fell by 12% to 5,353, and the number of reactors was more than 36,374, a decline of 9.5%. The minister attributed the national reduction to the combined efforts of stakeholders in supporting farmers to lower risk in their herds, while noting that above-average disease levels persist in several regions.
Nationally, Collins said there had been positive signs in recent months, crediting engagement with farmers to reduce the risk that bovine TB poses to Irish herds and to rural communities.
Budget 2027 and the action plan
Collins said more than €142 million had been earmarked for bovine TB measures under Budget 2027, and that existing valuation ceilings for reactor animals had been raised by €500. The overall allocation is lower, he explained, because national incidence has fallen by about 10.9% compared with the same point last year.
The Bovine TB Action Plan, launched in September 2025, sets out some 30 actions underpinned by scientific research, evidence and veterinary expertise. In April, changes to animal testing and animal movement requirements were introduced to reduce transmission from cattle to cattle.
Local resources
The minister said his department's continued focus was on reducing disease levels, which would in turn ease the impact on farm families, cut the cost of the programme and reduce costs for farmers and taxpayers. He told Agriland that the rise in cases in north Kerry and west Limerick was being monitored in real time, and that he had asked for additional manpower to be made available to local staff to help reverse the trend.
He added that he was confident that focusing efforts locally, alongside the action plan and the changes introduced this year, would drive disease levels down further.