A Dungannon farmer was convicted at Dungannon Court on Monday for failure to present all of his animals for tuberculosis (TB) testing.
Ian Stanley Boyd, of Pomeroy Road, pleaded guilty and was fined £1,500 plus a £15 offender levy.
The case arose following the 56-year-old’s refusal to present his animals for TB testing when requested.
This is in contravention of Article 3(2)(b) of the Tuberculosis (Examination and Testing) Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 1999, contrary to Article 52(1) of the Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.
According to the Department for Agriculture, the majority of herd keepers fully comply with the requirements of the TB eradication scheme.
Current disease levels continue to remain high at a considerable cost to the public purse and to individual herd keepers. It is vital all stakeholders work together to reduce the disease prevalence, and that infected animals are identified, isolated and removed at the earliest opportunity to minimise risk to other stock in the infected herd and in neighbouring herds.
The control of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) is dependent on identifying reactor animals at tests conducted by the Department. Failure to present animals for tests undermines efforts by both famers and the Department to reduce the incidence of disease.
