An independent study commissioned by UFU, LMC and Dairy Council NI puts the total annual cost of bovine TB to Northern Ireland’s farming sector at £156 million, and finds that more than half of the £96 million borne by farmers falls on herds that have never had a breakdown.
£96m annual drain on NI farming
Bovine TB is draining more than £96 million a year from Northern Ireland’s farmers, according to a damning new independent study that lays bare the scale of a crisis hitting both livelihoods and the wider rural economy. The figure comes from research commissioned by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) and Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, presented at the Stormont Hotel this week. The report draws on farmer surveys, stakeholder interviews and detailed modelling to assess the real-world impact of bovine TB beyond just the headlines.
UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said the research “quantifies, for the very first time, the scale and composition of the indirect costs of bTB borne by NI farmers”. Those indirect costs alone hit just over £96 million annually, equivalent to almost one-third of total agricultural support in Northern Ireland. When you add government spending on testing, compensation and control measures, the total bill climbs to around £156 million each year.
Clean farms footing half the bill
Perhaps the most startling finding is that more than half the financial burden falls on farms that have never experienced a TB breakdown. The report puts this figure at £49.7 million, 51.4% of the total cost, carried by herds with no history of the disease.
LMC chief executive Colin Smith described it as a stark indication that costs persist even without an outbreak, reflecting the constant burden of testing, managing disease risk and implementing biosecurity measures across the industry. “This is not just about farms that have had breakdowns,” Smith said. “The whole sector is paying.”
The report identifies key cost drivers including lost production, additional labour, cashflow pressures, biosecurity spending and environmental inefficiencies, many of these arise even without a single confirmed case on the farm. In other words, the cost falls on every cattle keeper in Northern Ireland, whether or not they’ve had a reactor.
What This Means for Farmers
To translate the numbers: £96 million a year is real money coming out of NI farm businesses, affecting decisions about herd investment, staff wages and family livelihoods.
The fact that clean farms carry 51% of the cost should make every farmer angry. You’ve been paying for a problem you might not even have, funding biosecurity measures, enduring testing regimes and absorbing production inefficiencies while hoping the disease stays away. Meanwhile, the emotional toll documented in this report, prolonged stress, anxiety, the dread of a routine test turning into a nightmare, affects families whether their herd has broken down or not.
Dairy Council for Northern Ireland chief executive Ian Stevenson put it plainly: “For too long our farmers have endured the practical, financial, environmental and mental anguish” associated with tackling the disease. These aren’t just words. The report includes case studies illustrating the day-to-day realities faced by affected farms, the phone calls, the restrictions, the uncertainty.
Specifically, when you consider that this £96m figure represents indirect costs alone, and the total public-private spend reaches £156m, you’re looking at an industry-wide emergency that demands urgent policy action. Mr Cuddy warned that bovine TB is “not a short-term or episodic issue, but a major structural constraint on Northern Ireland’s livestock sector”.
What to Do Next
The report’s authors have made their position clear: future policy must focus on reducing the overall economic impact, not just compensating for breakdowns after they occur. That means pushing for eradication strategies that address the systemic nature of the problem, not simply reactive measures.
For farmers, the message is equally clear. Document everything. Keep detailed records of the hidden costs this report highlights, labour, biosecurity, testing time, cashflow pressures. These costs have been invisible in policy discussions for too long, and hard data is what drives change.
Contact your local UFU representative to discuss how the findings might inform future lobbying and policy work. The report gives added momentum to eradication efforts, as Stevenson noted, but momentum only translates to action if farmers engage with the process.
The question now is whether Stormont will treat this £96 million annual drain as the emergency it clearly is, or continue with half-measures that leave the sector shouldering an unsustainable burden. For an industry already working through post-CAP transitions and volatile markets, bovine TB isn’t just another pressure. It’s a structural crisis that demands structural solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is bovine TB costing NI farmers each year?
Bovine TB is draining more than £96 million annually from Northern Ireland’s farmers in indirect costs alone, according to research commissioned by the UFU, LMC and Dairy Council NI. When government spending on testing, compensation and control measures is included, the total rises to around £156 million per year.
Which farms are bearing the biggest share of TB costs?
Surprisingly, farms that have never experienced a TB breakdown carry 51.4% of the total indirect costs, approximately £49.7 million. This reflects the ongoing burden of testing, biosecurity measures and disease risk management that affects the entire sector.
What drives the £96 million annual cost?
Key cost drivers include lost production, additional labour requirements, cashflow pressures, biosecurity spending and environmental inefficiencies. Many of these costs arise even without an active outbreak, making them a constant drain on farm businesses.
Who commissioned the research?
The independent study was commissioned by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) and Dairy Council for Northern Ireland. It was presented at the Stormont Hotel on 17 April 2026.
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