DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has announced the launch of a procurement competition to appoint a provider of on-farm bovine tuberculosis biosecurity advice in Northern Ireland.
The planned service will provide advice from an accredited veterinarian over two farm visits. It will include an assessment of biosecurity risks specific to each farm and a set of recommendations aimed at reducing those risks.
DAERA says the service is intended to support collaboration between veterinarians and farmers by identifying factors that may contribute to disease entry, persistence and spread within individual farm enterprises. The department says the advice should lead to targeted biosecurity actions for each farm.
Mr Muir said bovine TB is a complex disease and that many risk factors linked to its introduction on farms can be reduced through good biosecurity practices. He said tackling the disease is a priority for him and his department, citing its impact on the farming community.
Around 700 farms each year are expected to benefit from the advice service, with the first visits expected to take place later this year.
Chief Veterinary Officer Brian Dooher said the service would complement actions within the TB Partnership Steering Group’s Blueprint for bTB Eradication, which DAERA is progressing with stakeholders. The department said the provision of vet-led bTB biosecurity advice has been a long-standing objective and is included within the blueprint.
The procurement process is being undertaken by Central Procurement Directorate. Further information has been made available through the Find a Tender notice for DAERA’s on-farm bovine TB biosecurity advice service.