Cattle movements restricted as
Government battles TB menace

From January 1 the surveillance testing regime will be changed and stricter cattle movement controls will be imposed.

While most Yorkshire cattle farmers will see little change to their existing practices their dealings with farmers across the country will alter. Farmers in neighbouring Derbyshire will see increased testing introduced.

The news comes as the Government seeks to crack down on the virus which has drawn widespread attention due to the pilot policy of culling badgers in some parts of the country.

The move has been heavily opposed by vets and animal rights groups who question the science. Defra this week maintained the policy would continue.

Agriculture Minister David Heath said: “We need to stop the spread of bovine TB, which led to the slaughter of 26,000 cattle last year alone.

“These strengthened measures, alongside our badger control policy and the ongoing development of vaccines, are about reducing risks from all possible sources of TB infection to help control the disease and eventually eradicate it. The Government and the farming industry are committed to doing all they can to halt the spread of TB.

“We already have strong measures in place to tackle transmission between cattle – including compulsory testing, slaughter of infected animals and movement restrictions on infected herds.

“However, as set out in the Bovine TB Eradication Programme in July 2011, we are always looking to improve our methods and will strengthen controls where necessary.”

England will be divided into two cattle areas for testing the frequency of TB in cattle. Annual TB testing of farms will be extended in the South-West, West and Central England, and East Sussex to include adjoining areas which are at greatest risk from geographic spread of TB as well as the existing high risk areas where most cases are found.

In addition to the counties currently on annual testing, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and East Sussex will all be placed entirely onto annual testing. The rest of England will be placed on four-yearly testing.

New rules will see farmers who have had a case of TB prevented from bringing in new cattle until the rest of the herd has been tested and a vet has carried out an assessment.

In addition, farmers now have 30 days, down from 60, to move cattle that test negative for TB from a TB breakdown farm.

While the disease has been only been found in a handful of cases in Yorkshire the concern is that the virus will continue to spread northwards if it is not eradicated.

The National Farmers Uniongave a mixed reaction to the new rules.

Its chief livestock adviser Peter Garbutt said: “While we fully agree with the need to get on top of and eventually eradicate this disease, we recognise that some of these changes are bound to cause consternation to those farming businesses directly affected by them.

“Nevertheless, these changes will simplify the complex patchwork of the parish system, keep our testing regime one step ahead of the disease and ensure that investigation of new TB breakdowns is risk based.

“There is an acceptance from farmers outside the high risk areas that further measures to reduce the spread of the disease are needed and we know that the commission is keen to accelerate the eradication programme.”