Minister announces the launch of the Biosecurity Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health Scheme (TASAH) for 2026
- Foilsithe: 2 Meitheamh 2026
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 2 Meitheamh 2026
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, today announced the launch of the Biosecurity Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health (TASAH) Scheme to support farmers to assess and implement biosecurity measures on their farms.
Practicing good biosecurity on farm is key to protecting and improving animal health, welfare and productivity, as well as delivering benefits for public health in people, through reduced antiparasitic and antimicrobial medicine usage.
Minister Heydon stated:
“I am delighted to announce that national exchequer funding of €8.6 million will support the Biosecurity TASAH 2026. This will allow the completion of 26,000 biosecurity assessments across a range of livestock enterprises including parasite control assessments on cattle and sheep farms as well as equine premises."
The Biosecurity TASAH which will deliver veterinary advice at no cost to farmers is operated by Animal Health Ireland on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and builds on previous iterations of this scheme.
Farmers can register online from today at Animal Health Ireland. The Scheme will run from 2 June of 2026 for three consecutive years until the end of 2028.
Concluding the Minister added:
“The economic return on investment in animal health has never been as high as it has in recent years given where livestock values in many sectors have gone. The contribution of this programme and the engagement by both private veterinary practitioners (PVPs) and farmers will provide everyone with the effective tools to ensure the health and welfare of all livestock on their farms is protected into the future. It is also a key element of the One Health One Welfare approach to protecting animal and human health which are intrinsically linked.”
ENDS
Note for Editors
The Biosecurity Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health (TASAH) provides for a farm visit and veterinary consultation, free of charge for the farmer, to deliver advise on biosecurity measures and recommendations to control Bovine Viral Diarrhoea, Johne’s Disease, Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis, evaluate Biosecurity in dairy farms using Bioscore Dairy, Cellcheck consults for dairy herds, TB biosecurity, biosecurity in pigs and poultry sector including Salmonella control in pig holdings and Parasite Control Strategy for sheep, dairy, beef, suckler and equine farms.
Since 2018, Animal Health Ireland (AHI) has implemented Generic and Biosecurity TASAH providing training to private veterinary partitioners (PVPs) to enable them deliver on-farm animal health and welfare advisory services to contribute with the sustainability of agricultural business and the control of antimicrobial and anthelmintic resistance, welfare and new and emerging pathogens.