The biosecurity campaign and launch of a new information hub, which were announced by farming minister George Eustice on a visit to Hartpury College on Thursday, come the day after a groundbreaking study published by the Royal Society revealed a link between bovine TB and shifting trends towards more intensive farming.

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• Restrict contact between badgers & cattle
• Manage cattle feed and water
• Stop infected cattle entering the herd
• Reduce risk from neighbouring herds
• Minimise infection from cattle manure

The points will appear on posters being sent to farmers, vets, APHA offices and cattle marts later this month.

A new ‘hub’ being created at www.TBhub.co.uk will also see advice on bovine TB from government, farming experts, vets and agricultural colleges being made available on a single website. The hub was developed by AHDB, with input from the other groups in Defra’s biosecurity campaign.  

Speaking at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire on Thursday, Farming Minister George Eustice said, “We are making good progress in eradicating TB from England through our 25-year strategy - reducing the risk of disease entering a farm is a crucial element if we are to end the devastation it causes for farmers and rural communities.

“There are simple and practical ways for farmers to reduce risk to their herds and neighbouring businesses from bovine TB which are set out in this new action plan approved by vets and farming experts.

“I encourage all cattle farmers to visit the new TB hub and think about the actions they could take to make a difference to improving the security of their herd - with outbreaks often costing thousands of pounds, it makes sense to take action now.”

The Defra minister’s announcement comes after a study, commissioned by agricultural research council BBSRC and appearing in the Royal Society’s Biological Letters journal, drew a link between intensive farming (including larger herd size, maize growth, fewer hedgerows and the use of silage) and a higher risk of bovine TB.

There have been radical changes in the farming industry in recent years; the study’s authors showed that average herd size has increased from 75 animals in 1996 to 133 in 2014 (a 77% increase), and milk yields rose by 27 percent over a similar period. In addition herd size and a number of farming practices, farms with more marshland and deciduous woodland had a higher risk of bTB breakdowns, whilst hedgerows were strongly associated with lower risks.

Commenting on the study, Soil Association chief executive Helen Browning, said, “For thirty years or more successive governments and farming leaders have avoided any discussion about how changing farming systems, and particularly more intensive and ever larger herds, may be increasing the incidence of bovine TB. This ground-breaking research should change the debate about this devastating disease, and put how we farm and care for farm animals firmly at the centre of discussions.”

Study leader Dr Fiona Matthews commented, “Farmers are already aware that biosecurity in the farmyard can help reduce the risk of bTB in cattle. We have now shown that wider environmental management is also important. By finding out more about these links, we hope that we can help eradicate this terrible disease."