Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is closely monitoring a bovine tuberculosis (TB) hotspot in north Kerry and west Limerick, where disease levels are running above the national average, Minister of State Niall Collins said at a farming seminar in Listowel.
Addressing the Listowel Food Fair Farming Seminar at the Listowel Arms Hotel on Monday, Collins said the department was acutely aware of the emotional and financial strain that a TB breakdown places on farmers, their families and rural communities. The event drew a large attendance of farmers from across the region. He said the rise in north Kerry and in his own west Limerick was worrying and represented an issue of significant concern.
Local increase runs against national trend
Department statistics covering the 12 months to September 27, 2026 show national herd incidence at 5.40%, down from 6.08%. The number of restricted herds stood at 5,353, a decline of 12%, while reactor numbers exceeded 36,374, down 9.5%.
Collins said those national figures reflected combined efforts by stakeholders to help farmers lower the risk of TB in their herds. He nevertheless acknowledged that above-average disease levels persist in several parts of the country, including the north Kerry and west Limerick area he represents.
Funding and action plan
Budget 2027 provides more than €142 million for bovine TB measures, and valuation ceilings for reactor animals have been raised by €500. Collins said the overall allocation was lower than before because national TB levels had fallen by about 10.9% compared with the same period a year earlier.
The Bovine TB Action Plan, launched in September 2025, contains around 30 actions supported by scientific research, evidence and veterinary expertise. In April, changes were made to animal testing and movement requirements in an effort to reduce cattle-to-cattle transmission.
Local staffing and monitoring
Collins said he had requested additional staffing for local department staff working in the region. He also said he would engage with departmental officials on a real-time basis, with the aim of reversing the local trend because of its serious impact on farmers, farm families and communities.
He expressed confidence that concentrating efforts locally, alongside the action plan and this year’s changes, would bring disease levels down further. The department’s stated focus is to reduce disease levels, thereby limiting the impact on farm families, lowering programme costs and reducing costs for farmers and taxpayers.