On Thursday, Defra announced new measures under its Bovine TB strategy.

From 6 April 2016, new legislation will require farmers in the Low Risk Area of England to arrange for post-movement testing of cattle coming from the rest of England and from Wales. Under Defra’s eradication strategy, England has been divided into three TB regions (Low, Medium and High Risk Areas), with different rules in place depending on the prevalence of bTB.

More than half of new bovine TB infections in the Low Risk Area of the country can be clearly linked to cattle purchased from higher risk areas, so Defra said the introduction of compulsory post-movement testing will provide greater confidence that the Low Risk Area can become and remain officially TB-free.

Three other new measures will also come into force on 6th April:

• Tighter movement restrictions in the High Risk Area. All herds in the High Risk Area of England affected by a new TB breakdown will need to pass two strict tests before movement restrictions are lifted. This will increase the chances of finding all infected animals in those herds, helping to reduce recurrent breakdowns and to protect other herds.
• Government-funded pre-sale testing. Free pre-sale TB tests will be available to many herd owners in the Low Risk Area selling twenty or more cattle in a single purchase. This will enable sellers to provide additional assurance for buyers and mitigate the low risk of undetected TB spreading to new herds.
• The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will also start offering the option of private Interferon Gamma blood tests to diagnose TB under certain conditions and subject to prior approval from APHA.

Unveiling the new measures on Thursday, farming minister George Eustice said,  “We are presiding over a huge collective effort to eradicate bovine TB in England. Our comprehensive strategy is clear: the disease can only be defeated by taking coordinated action on cattle movements, cattle testing and badger control.

“The cattle measures we are introducing in April will help protect against cattle-to-cattle transmission and bring the Low Risk Area closer to achieving TB freedom.”

Responding to the measures, NFU’s animal health and welfare advisor Catherine McLaughlin said, “The introduction of compulsory post movement testing for cattle moving into the low risk area from higher risk areas will be welcomed by farmers in these areas who have been frustrated by the lack of progress on this issue. However, it is important that the details of what this will mean for farmers is fully communicated to them so they don’t get caught out.”
 
However, she said the NFU is concerned about the cost of Gamma Interferon blood tests and laboratories’ capacity to cope with the additional testing. The NFU advisor added, “We are disappointed that Defra is pressing ahead with the requirement for all herds in the High Risk Area affected by a new TB breakdown to pass two strict tests before restrictions are lifted. There is a real concern this measure could restrict and curtail trade to unsustainable levels.”
 
Speaking to Farming Online, Badger Trust spokesperson Dominic Dyer said the trust is supportive of the new measures, including making funding available to help farmers with the financial burden of stricter cattle-based measures. He said, “Tighter restrictions are a welcome step in the right direction. We would urge the government to follow the Welsh approach [to bTB control], with annual testing across the country.”

Commenting on the NFU response, he added, “The NFU is digging itself a hole. Badger culling has cost £23 million in public money so far [it has been estimated that each badger killed costs taxpayers around £7,000], so complaining about the cost of control measures is not a strong position.”

He said that, given further cuts to the department’s budget and increasing costs in other priority areas like flood funding, Defra is coming under mounting pressure to produce evidence that its expensive culling policy is working, which without more costly scrutiny of TB in badgers and cattle in the cull zones, it cannot provide.   

Government advice for farmers and vets is available from www.tbhub.co.uk