What is the cost of TB in cattle to NI?
The cost of the Bovine TB Programme to the public purse in NI during 2022/23 was £53 million with compensation making up approximately £38 million; in 2023/24 the cost was almost £56 million; and expenditure on the programme was estimated to be £60 million in 2024/25. However the costs of bovine TB go far beyond government expenditure on the disease. Bovine TB has a significant financial impact on a herd, through loss of animals, loss of production and the cost of farmer time (testing, isolating animals, cleaning and disinfecting and restocking), as well as emotional and psychological costs.
A DEFRA report that looked at consequential costs in 2018/2019 found the median cost of a TB breakdown on a farm in England and Wales1 was £6,600, however costs increased in chronically affected herds and as herd size increased.
Compensation within Northern Ireland covers direct economic losses due to the loss of cattle, but not consequential losses, and is therefore better thought of as animal replacement cost assistance. Depending on the size and type of farm and timing of the breakdown, all farms with bTB incur costs, however some will experience a much greater cost/loss. Cash flow forecasting is needed so that budgeting and expenditure can be planned. Inevitably infection with bTB leads to loss of income which in some cases can be very substantial, leading to business planning uncertainty, cash flow challenges and loss of business control. There can also be a long-term effect on a business through lost genetic gains made over previous generations of planned breeding.
See Contingency Planning advice
1 Barnes 2023 The consequential costs of bovine tuberculosis breakdowns in England and Wales https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105808