Ulster Unionist Agriculture spokesperson and AERA committee Chair Robbie Butler MLA commented on the recent Anderson bTB report which highlights the significant economic and health impacts of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) on Northern Ireland's farming industry.

Robbie Butler MLA said:

“I welcome the publication of this important qualitative report commissioned by the LMC, Dairy Council and UFU, and delivered by The Andersons Centre, examining the true indirect costs of bovine TB (bTB) on our farming community.

“While much of what is outlined will sadly be familiar to many farm families, this report performs a vital function: it quantifies, benchmarks and independently verifies the lived reality of bTB. For too long, these impacts have been discussed anecdotally. Now, they are evidenced, measured and impossible to ignore.

“The findings lay bare the full scale of the burden not just financial, but environmental and deeply personal. Farmers are not only absorbing hidden costs in lost productivity, disrupted breeding cycles and additional labour, but are also facing mounting stress, uncertainty and real mental health pressures. Time and again, I hear from farmers who feel unheard, unsupported and, in the worst cases, completely cast adrift as they battle prolonged bTB breakdowns.

“This report gives those voices weight. It transforms individual hardship into collective, credible evidence.

“It must now act as a turning point.

“The conversation can no longer be confined to compensation alone. While fair and timely compensation is essential, it is not a solution to bTB. What farmers need and what this report clearly calls for is decisive, coordinated and science-led action to tackle the disease at its root.

“That means moving beyond short-term responses and committing to a comprehensive eradication strategy including wildlife intervention, backed by proper resources, clear timelines and genuine partnership with the farming community.

“Our farmers deserve more than acknowledgement; they deserve action. This report provides the evidence base. The responsibility now lies with DAERA to respond with urgency, ambition and resolve.

“We must grasp this opportunity to move beyond managing bTB, and instead, commit to eradicating it once and for all.”