A weekly newspaper has carried out a wide-ranging investigation into the impact of bovine TB on its patch – prompting an eye-catching front page.

The Impartial Reporter devoted four pages to the issue in its current edition, illustrated by the front page headline ‘Rising Threat.’

The investigation, carried out by reporter William Smith, revealed that the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs had paid out £1.1m in compensation to carmers for cattle that had to be culled after catching bovine TB.

William’s package also included interviews with several farmers affected by the outbreak including one eho had two thirds of his herd wiped out by the disease.

Said William: “Levels of bTB in the Fermanagh area have risen to record high levels in recent years, with incidence rates in local herds rising to over 12% last year. The disease continues to wreak havoc on farmers livelihoods, cattle populations and local wildlife.

“I felt it was important to highlight these issues. Throughout the course of the investigation I sent multiple FOIs to the Department of Agriculture, which returned stark findings including the amount of compensation paid to farmers for bTB reactors, rising by millions yearly.

“I also conducted multiple case studies with local farmers, who spoke of the devastating impact that bTB is having on their livelihoods. One farmer spoke on the gut-wrenching feeling of losing two-thirds of his milking herd in a day during a routine bTB test.”