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, describing the trend in the region as one of "significant concern".
Speaking at the Listowel Food Fair Farming Seminar on Monday, November 9, at the Listowel Arms Hotel, Collins told a large gathering of farmers from across the region that his department was "very aware of the emotional and financial challenge" a bovine TB breakdown creates for farmers, their families and their communities.
He said there had been a worrying rise in bovine TB levels in north Kerry and in his own west Limerick, where the rate is above the national average. "It's an issue that we're monitoring and one that is of significant concern," he told the seminar.
Funding and valuation ceilings
Collins said that over €142 million had been earmarked for bovine TB measures under Budget 2027, while existing valuation ceilings for reactor animals had been increased by €500. He explained that the overall allocation is lower than before because national bovine TB levels have fallen by about 10.9% compared with the same time last year.
He said that while the recent local rise is worrying, nationally there have been positive signs in recent months, which he attributed to the efforts of all stakeholders in engaging with farmers to reduce the risk TB poses to Irish herds and to rural communities. The department's continued focus, he added, is on reducing disease levels, which in turn should reduce the impact on farm families, the cost of the programme and the costs borne by farmers and taxpayers.
National figures
The latest department statistics, covering the 12 months to September 27, 2026, show national herd incidence at 5.40%, down from 6.08%.
- The number of herds restricted stood at 5,353, a decline of 12%;
- The number of reactors was over 36,374, down 9.5%.
Despite that national decline, above-average levels of the disease continue to persist in a number of regions across the country, including the north Kerry and west Limerick area.
Action plan and local response
The Bovine TB Action Plan, launched in September 2025, contains some 30 actions that the department says are underpinned by scientific research, evidence and veterinary expertise. In April, a number of changes to animal testing and animal movement requirements were introduced with the aim of reducing cattle-to-cattle transmission of the disease.
Collins said he is confident that focusing these efforts locally, alongside the action plan and the changes introduced this year, will drive disease levels down further.
He told Agriland that the department is monitoring the rise in TB cases in north Kerry and west Limerick on a day-to-day basis, and that he would be engaging with departmental officials on a real-time basis to try to reverse the trend, given its impact on farmers, farm families and communities. He added that he has asked for more resources in terms of manpower to be made available to local staff to help them.