Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has today announced the launch of the Biosecurity Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health (TASAH) 2026, backed by €8.6 million in national exchequer funding. The scheme funds 26,000 free farm visits and veterinary biosecurity consultations across Ireland, running from 2 June 2026 through to the end of 2028.
What is TASAH 2026?
The Biosecurity TASAH gives Irish farmers access to a fully funded farm visit and veterinary consultation, with no cost to the farmer. It covers a wide range of animal health areas including:
- Parasite control strategy for sheep, cattle (dairy, beef, suckler) and equine farms, including a funded faecal egg count (FEC) test
- Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD), Johne’s Disease and Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR)
- TB biosecurity
- Cellcheck dairy consults
- Biosecurity for pigs and poultry, including Salmonella control
The scheme is operated by Animal Health Ireland on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), and builds on programmes running since 2018.
Why parasite testing matters right now
With livestock out at grass, summer is peak season for worm and fluke burdens in sheep and cattle. Anthelmintic (wormer) resistance is a growing problem on Irish farms, making evidence-based parasite control more important than ever. Blanket dosing without diagnostic information risks accelerating resistance and wasting money on ineffective treatments.
That’s why the FEC test is built directly into the TASAH parasite consultation. A faecal egg count measures the eggs being produced by reproducing female worms, giving your vet a reliable indicator of worm burden on the pasture, whether treatment is genuinely needed, and whether a wormer has done its job.
For farmers: how to register
Registration is open now at animalhealthireland.ie. The scheme is free, voluntary, and open to cattle, sheep, dairy and equine enterprises. Registering takes just a few minutes, and your vet will be in touch to arrange the farm visit and faecal egg count.
For veterinary practices: getting set up for TASAH parasite consults
The TASAH parasite consultation includes a funded FEC as a core deliverable, which means practices need a reliable, fast way to run worm egg counts as part of the visit. Micron Kit is built for exactly this. Rapid in-clinic or on-farm faecal egg counts give you a same-visit result, so you can complete the funded test, interpret the findings, and deliver a data-backed parasite control plan in a single appointment.
Micron Kit is suitable for use within the TASAH scheme. With farmer registrations now open and the season underway, vets who aren’t already set up can get started quickly.
👉 Want to learn more about the Micron Kit for your clinic? Get in touch with our team today.
