Animal Diseases
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-14
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Martin Heydon (FG), Kildare South

I understand the points the Deputy has made and the frustration he has expressed on behalf of his constituents. I would love not to have that ceiling in place; I would love the freedom to be able to operate outside of that.
Market prices of animals continue to be monitored. However, the focus at present is on reducing the levels of disease, which will reduce the impact of bovine TB on Irish farm families and reduce the cost of the programme, which rose to over €121 million in 2025. The only reason I got sanction for the extra money in my budget negotiations was because that money was to drive down the incidence rate and the disease. I did not get extra money for extra compensation. That is beyond the ceilings that are there. However, we continue to monitor this. It is something I would like to be able to move on in time, but I do not have the ability to do that right now.
In addition to the compensation package for eligible reactor animals that are removed during a TB breakdown, my Department operates three supplementary schemes that assist farmers with the indirect losses incurred as a result of a breakdown on the farm. These include an income supplement scheme, a depopulation grant scheme and the hardship grant scheme. We also have a financial working group, through which we have seen over the past two years rate enhancements to the income supplement scheme, the hardship grant and the depopulation grant, as well as enhanced ceilings for select animals being removed as part of the on-farm market valuation.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-14