The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is closely monitoring a bovine tuberculosis (TB) hotspot in north Kerry and west Limerick, Minister of State Niall Collins has said, after disease levels in the area rose above the national average.
Speaking at the Listowel Food Fair Farming Seminar at the Listowel Arms Hotel on Monday, November 9, Collins told a large gathering of local farmers that the department was “very aware” of the emotional and financial strain a TB breakdown places on farm families and communities. The minister said the rise in north Kerry and in his own west Limerick was “worrying” and “of significant concern.”
National decline, local pressure
Collins said the local increase was occurring against a broader national improvement. He said bovine TB had fallen by about 10.9% nationally compared with the same time last year, and that this had contributed to a lower overall funding allocation for TB measures in Budget 2027.
He said just over €142 million had been earmarked for bovine TB measures under that budget, while existing valuation ceilings for reactor animals had been increased by €500.
“The overall allocation is lower but this is due to a fact that nationally a reduction in bovine TB of about 10.9% when compared with this time last year,” he said. The minister added that recent months had shown positive signs nationally because of work by stakeholders to reduce risk to herds and rural communities.
Action plan and latest figures
The Bovine TB Action Plan, launched in September 2025, contains around 30 actions supported by scientific research, evidence and veterinary expertise, according to the minister. In April, changes were introduced to animal testing and movement requirements aimed at reducing cattle-to-cattle transmission.
Latest department statistics cited at the seminar showed that, in the 12 months to September 27, 2026, national herd incidence stood at 5.40%, down from 6.08%. The number of restricted herds was 5,353, a decrease of 12%, while the number of reactors was over 36,374, down 9.5%.
Collins said above-average disease levels nevertheless persisted in several regions. He argued that focusing effort locally, alongside the action plan and this year’s changes, would drive disease levels down further.
Day-to-day monitoring
The minister said the department was monitoring the rise in TB cases in north Kerry and west Limerick on a day-to-day basis. He said he would engage with departmental officials in real time because the aim was to reverse the trend, given its significant impact on farmers, farm families and communities.
Collins added that he had asked for more resources in terms of manpower to be made available to local staff to help them respond.