Offaly vet on Ear to the Ground

An Offaly vet is on Ear to the Ground this evening.

Presenter Helen Carroll travels with vet Donal Lynch as he visits farms to carry out TB testing, and also to deliver results to farmers who depend on an all clear result in order to allow them to continue farming without restrictions.

Seventy years after the TB eradication scheme was introduced, this costly disease still strikes fear into every cattle farmer in the country. Every year, every bovine must be tested for the disease. If the animal reacts to the test, it must be removed from the herd and the farm is locked up, meaning no animals can leave the farm until the next test is clear. It is costly, as the farmer must be compensated, but the disruption is more than just the loss of the animal.

One of those farmers is Noel Keyes from Killina who is waiting for test results, and is anxious about what they may hold. Will it be clear? Or will a breakdown hit the farm business for the next few months?

Ear to the Ground is on RTE 1 this evening at 7pm.