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UFU said it has been told by Northern Ireland's Chief Veterinary Officer that the current bTB strategy review was still in ‘draft form' and had not yet undergone scrutiny by policy developers

The Food Standards Agency confirmed said milk from cows given Bovaer as a feed additive to reduce methane emissions was safe to drink and had undergone rigorous testing

The Dutch company, dsm-firmenich has released a statement, emphasising that Bovaer is an 'important scientific innovation in the fight against climate change'

UFU president William Irvine and dairy farmer from County Armagh said: "DAERA's review of NI's TB strategy is a step too far. There is extremely limited focus on the most critical issue – the need for an effective eradication programme that addresses all sources of infection"

It is after some smaller dairies and farmers have publicly distanced themselves from the new project following safety concerns raised by members of the public

The TB24c licence will authorise the general movement of bovine animals to a licensed slaughterhouse, allowing bTB-restricted keepers to send cattle either directly or through an approved bTB slaughter gathering to an approved slaughterhouse in England and Wales

Rebekah Morris was fatally injured when walking her dog on July 9 2022

Nine cases of the virus have been detected outside the zone in Cheshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Cumbria, Anglesey, Gwynedd, Cornwall and North Yorkshire

NFU Scotland vice president Andrew Connon said: "Any changes to this area of the hard-won milk contract legislation have the potential undermine a crucial cornerstone of the regulations around pricing and exclusivity and act against the best interests of dairy farmers"

On average, profits are predicted to rise to £590/cow. That is according to the annual Milk Cost of Production report by Old Mill and the Farm Consultancy Group