Delays in compensation “compounding” TB stress for farmers – ICMSA say Minister must inject urgency

ICMSA has said that farmers who have suffered the already hugely stressful event of a TB breakdown in their herd are having their troubles compounded by unacceptable delays in the payment of compensation. Eamon Carroll, Deputy President of ICMSA, said that the matter “could and should” be addressed as a matter of priority by Minister Heydon.

Mr. Carroll cited the farmers’ Charter which he said was “unambiguous” about the Department’s obligations on TB compensation.

“The Farmers’ Charter commitment is that farmers should be paid within three weeks of the submission of the required documentation and – to put it mildly – this unambiguous Charter commitment is being breached blatantly with many farmers waiting months for the compensation due.  It’s just outrageous that these farmers who are dealing with the loss of their animals and the associated loss of income associated can be left ‘twisting in the air’ like this and having their distress compounded in this fashion”, said Mr. Carroll.

The ICMSA Deputy President noted that the new TB strategy launched by the Minister would require substantial farmer ‘buy-in’, Mr. Carroll said that the first step in securing that farmer ‘buy-in’ must be to treat affected farmers with fairness and respect and this was assuredly not happening at present.   The State was visibly failing in its first step and that did not bode well for the kind of proactive approach that the new TB strategy was predicated on, noted Mr. Carroll.

“We are calling on the Minister to immediately pay all payments that are already outside the Charter timeframe commitments and to ensure that no more due payments are delayed beyond the Charter timeframes.   God knows that TB causes enough stress for the farmers in question and the Department shouldn’t be adding to that”, concluded Mr. Carroll.

Ends      12 November 2025

Eamon Carroll, 087-6312945

Deputy President, ICMSA

Or

Cathal MacCarthy, 087-6168758

ICMSA Press Office