The Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been urged to increase compensation for bovine TB reactors, raising the maximum payment by €2,000.
Kerry Fianna Fail TD Michael Cahill has asked Minister Martin Haydon to “urgently” increase compensation for TB reactors from €3,000 to €5,000 and from €5,000 to €7,000 for pedigree animals.
In response, Minister Haydon said:Bovine tuberculosis It represents an ongoing challenge for Irish farmers. I am keenly aware of the emotional and financial impacts of bovine TB on farmers, their families and rural areas in Ireland.
“Budget 2026 provides an increase in the TB Program budget for 2026. This will allow the TB Program to focus on controlling the disease by implementing the measures set out in the TB Control Action Plan.”
According to the Minister, this plan will support and enable farmer families currently dealing with the stress of TB outbreaks to find a way out of TB restrictions and protect herds currently free of TB from outbreaks.
Minister Haydon added: “The aim of the new measures in the Bovine TB Action Plan is to reduce the number of farms affected by bovine TB and reduce costs for all stakeholders.”
He also explained that his administration is providing a range of financial support focused on compensating farmers for direct and indirect losses incurred as a result of the TB outbreak on the farm.
supports
The minister said: “The basic support plan is the farm market evaluation plan, where animals that are removed during the reactors receive compensation subject to the plan’s ceilings equivalent to their market value in the event that they are not detected as tuberculosis reactors.”
Minister Haydon said his department also runs three supplementary schemes that help farmers cope with indirect losses incurred as a result of the TB collapse on their farms, including the Income Supplement Scheme, the Population Displacement Grant Scheme and the Hardship Grant Scheme.
While the minister said market prices for the animals were still being monitored, he added that “the focus at the moment is on reducing disease levels which will reduce the impact of TB on Irish farming families and reduce the cost of the program which has risen to more than €121 million in 2025.”
Herd occurrence
Deputy Cahill also asked the Minister how many cattle were diagnosed with signs of TB for each year from 2015 until the end of May 2026.
Minister Haydon responded that herd infections had increased over that period, and there had been “encouraging progress” in recent months in reducing TB levels by a decrease of 1% year on year.
He explained: “As of May 31, 2026, and over a 12-month period, the herd occurrence rate was 5.34%, down from 6.38%, and the number of restricted herds was 5,336, down more than 17% from 6,448.
“This is due to the combined efforts of all stakeholders in engaging with farmers to reduce the risks TB poses to Irish flocks and rural communities.”
However, over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in TB levels nationally, with 37,834 reactors in 2025 compared to 15,317 in 2015.
The table below shows the number of reactors for each year from 2015 to 2025 and from January 1 to May 31, 2026.
| year | Number of reactors |
| 1/1/26 to 5/31/26 | 11,448 |
| 2025 | 37834 |
| 2024 | 41,682 |
| 2023 | 28,901 |
| 2022 | 23,393 |
| 2021 | 20,931 |
| 2020 | 22,614 |
| 2019 | 17,058 |
| 2018 | 17,491 |
| 2017 | 17,266 |
| 2016 | 16,914 |
| 2015 | 15,317 |
The minister said he launched a bovine TB action plan in September 2025 to address these “high numbers of the disease.”
“It includes five measures and 30 actions supported by scientific research, evidence and veterinary expertise.
“The aim of the action plan is to reset the TB control program by taking the necessary measures to address the current disease situation,” Minister Haydon said.
