Farmers’ representatives have reacted to government plans that could see farmers paying towards the cost of bovine TB testing if they want to keep using their preferred vets.

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The contracts will last for three years, with the option of extending them for two further years. APHA stated that each of the successful bidders is a distinct business entity consisting of a consortium of practices within the particular region. These providers will allocate testing work through a network of veterinary businesses in each area.

XL Farmcare’s regional groups will be responsible for allocating local vets and ensuring testing is carried out properly. APHA claimed this will improve standards in its announcement on Monday.

Currently, on-farm bTB testing in England is done by vets working for private businesses who are trained, appointed and paid by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to carry out the work. However, under the new regime, these responsibilities will transfer to private sector ‘delivery partners’.

This means that, from May, farmers will have to contact their local delivery partner to arrange testing. Farmers can request to use a specific vet from a practice subcontracted within their regional provider’s network, but there is no guarantee their request will be honoured, and those who would prefer to use a practice that is not part of the Delivery Partner’s network will have to pay to do so privately. This has caused concern amongst vets and farmers’ groups.

Commenting on the award of contracts on Monday, APHA’s Veterinary Director, Simon Hall, said, “This new partnership with the veterinary industry will modernise the way we deliver key services such as bovine TB testing and improve our ability to detect disease and protect animal health.

“The new arrangements provide higher levels of assurance about quality of testing and value for money. Testing will continue to be performed by fully qualified vets and APHA will carry on working in close partnership with the veterinary profession.

“Local veterinary practices have always made an invaluable contribution to national disease control programmes and this new arrangement underlines the critical role they will continue to play in protecting animal health and welfare.”

However, NFU deputy president Minette Batters said there is actually widespread concern amongst farmers that the change could interfere with their ability to continue to use their own vets.

Ms Batters said late on Monday, “Throughout this process we have made our concerns very clear to Defra and the APHA. It is vital that the new delivery partners maintain local service delivery so farmers can continue to use their own vets without having to pay towards the testing costs.

“The long-term relationships farmers build with their vets are hugely important for all aspects of animal health and welfare, and especially regarding bovine TB. These vets have often worked closely with farmers for many years, building up trust, knowledge of the farmer’s business, and a working relationship which allows them to have informed and detailed discussions about how best to keep bTB, and other diseases, out of their herds.”

The NFU has raised concerns that testing on smaller farms, or for businesses which require more complicated tests, will no longer be economically viable for local veterinary practices under the new regime.

On Tuesday, British Veterinary Association president John Blackwell added, “BVA has always argued that changes to the delivery of OV services must not be driven by cost savings alone. We therefore opposed the original decision to move to a system of tendering for OV services because of the potential unintended consequence of undermining the sustainability of the network of veterinary practices in rural areas.”

Blackwell said the BVA had lobbied for the new system to preserve the “vital” relationship between farmers and their local vets. He said he was pleased that APHA has taken notice of the requirement in the invitation to tender.

However, he continued, “It is essential that local vets in England continue to play an important role in critical disease testing, such as bovine TB, and other OV services and we will expect the delivery partners to utilise the existing networks of local veterinary practices.

“We will monitor how the service is being delivered at a local level and feed in any concerns raised by our members to Defra and APHA, particularly in terms of any erosion of the link between vets and farmers and the potential impact of a loss of veterinary services in rural areas.

“APHA must continue to recognise that veterinary surgeons are vital to both individual farms and to the national disease control programmes.”