Marshalled List of Amendments

Monday 27 April 2026

Motion: Bovine Tuberculosis

Proposed:

That this Assembly recognises that high levels of animal disease, including bovine Tuberculosis (bTB), undermine environmental sustainability by increasing resource use per unit of food produced and contributing to higher greenhouse gas emissions; notes figures from the Public Health Agency, as reported in the Irish Farmers Journal, indicating that 86 human TB cases were notified in 2024, an increase on previous years; acknowledges the implications of bTB for public health, farmers mental health and wellbeing, and animal welfare; further acknowledges that the financial cost of bTB is substantial, with estimates exceeding £60 million per year, placing pressure on the agricultural sector and public finances; further notes the potential wider economic impacts on agri-food supply chains, rural employment, domestic food security, and the competitiveness of agri-food exports; acknowledges the publication of the TB Partnership Group’s Blueprint to Eradicate bTB; welcomes the allocation of additional funding to tackle bTB through the Shared Island Initiative launched last year; and calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to take immediate action to eradicate bTB, including the implementation of wildlife intervention, without further delay.

Mr Declan McAleer

Miss Áine Murphy

Ms Aoife Finnegan

Amendment

Leave out all after ‘previous years;’ and insert:

‘further notes that three bTB cases were reported in Northern Ireland in 2024; acknowledges the implications of bTB for public health, farmers mental health and wellbeing, and animal welfare; further acknowledges that the financial cost of bTB is substantial, with estimates exceeding £60 million per year, placing pressure on the agricultural sector and public finances; notes the Andersons Centre’s March 2026 assessment that farmers bear the largest share of the full economic cost of bTB; further notes the potential wider economic impacts on agri-food supply chains, rural employment, local livestock marts, domestic food security, and the competitiveness of agri-food exports; acknowledges the publication of the TB Partnership Group’s Blueprint to Eradicate bTB; welcomes the allocation of additional funding to tackle bTB through the Shared Island Initiative launched last year, while also recognising the concerns raised by the Ulster Farmers’ Union that the pilot area is not representative of the Northern Ireland bTB picture as a whole; and calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to take immediate action to eradicate bTB, including the implementation of wildlife intervention, without further delay.’ 

[Miss Michelle McIlveen]

[Mr Tom Buchanan]

[Mr Gareth Wilson]