Following the new bovine TB (bTB) strategy refresh launching in June, SureFarm Ltd., are sharing how research they have led, can offer a major step forward in how the dairy industry approaches bTB surveillance in the UK.

Findings from the large-scale, independent Innovate UK-funded national study[1] - published on 28 October 2026 - shows that bulk tank milk testing using the Enferplex Bovine TB Antibody Test represents a significant opportunity to help the dairy industry combat one of the most persistent and costly animal health diseases facing the sector.

Vet and RCVS Specialist in Cattle Health & Production, Alastair Hayton, the scientific director at SureFarm, explains why the study findings are of such value.

“Despite decades of Government led statutory testing for bTB, breakdowns continue and the evidence suggests that current surveillance and testing methods are failing to detect a proportion of infected livestock,” he says.

“A consistently identified area of concern is that the presence of undetected residual infection within dairy herds is leading to disease spread through trade and movements, which shows the need for more sensitive and accessible diagnostic tests.

“This requirement for more sensitive testing was highlighted by both the 2018 and 2025 Godfray Reviews, which identified that improved detection of residual infection was a critical priority for future disease control strategies.”

New evidence from the study which involved 4,830 herds - 65% of the GB dairy population - demonstrated that the Enferplex Bovine Tuberculosis Bulk Tank Milk Antibody Test identified a significant number of infected dairy herds that were not detected through routine statutory testing and abattoir surveillance.

Specifically, the study showed that the test detected one in five officially TB free herds as positive for the presence of antibody, suggesting that undetected infection was contributing to the persistence and spread of bTB in Great Britain.

“Our findings all reinforce concerns that residual infection is contributing to ongoing disease transmission,” says Mr. Hayton.

“We are working collaboratively with the industry to explore how bulk tank milk testing could be integrated into TB control strategies at a farm and industry level, without compromising the herd’s official bTB status.”

Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Ele Brown says: “This is important research which highlights the potential for bulk tank milk antibody testing to be a non-invasive additional tool to our existing bovine TB surveillance system.

“We will continue to assess the findings with our partners to understand how this approach could complement existing surveillance and support future TB control.”

Alastair adds: “Bulk milk testing is simple, scalable and affordable. Utilising it, in conjunction with statutory skin testing surveillance and the wider adoption of WOAH-approved ancillary tests, proposed in the new bTB strategy, presents a potential major opportunity for farmers and veterinarians.

“Together, these approaches would enable more accurate identification of herds harbouring bTB infection and then, facilitate the subsequent detection and removal of infected animals. It would also have the major benefit of reducing the risk of disease spread through cattle movements and trading.”

Importantly, he confirms that bulk tank milk testing for bTB carries no human health implications, with the test detecting antibodies in milk as an indirect measure for the presence of animals with bTB; it does not indicate a food safety risk and pasteurised UK milk remains safe.

Alastair concludes: “No single test or intervention will eradicate TB. But if we’re serious about reaching Officially TB-Free status by 2038, the industry must embrace innovation, use science and evidence to guide decisions and give farmers and their vets more visibility of risk within herds.”

Find the published paper here.

[1] An Innovate UK-funded study, which was a partnership between Synergy Farm Health, working closely with SureFarm, the SRUC, National Milk Records and UK Agri-Tech Centre, and MV Diagnostics providing technical and immunological advice.