Defra Secretary Owen Paterson unveiled stricter bovine TB control measures on Thursday.

Defra maintains that its approach to tackling bovine TB has been a wide ranging one, including stricter cattle measures alongside the scientifically contested badger cull. However, the department has been criticised by cull opponents for delaying the introduction of cattle-based measures and for the fact that, whilst many key disease control measure measures are mandatory, others, such as risk-based trading, remain purely voluntary.

As part of its biosecurity commitments, from January 2014 Defra will introduce penalties for farmers who do not conduct cattle tests on time. Those whose herd tests become overdue will face cuts to their farming subsidies under Defra's new zero tolerance approach.

Under the new measures, AHVLA will pass on details of late tests to the Rural Payments Agency, who will assess the seriousness of the issue.

From January any farm with an overdue bovine TB test will face a reduction of the Common Agricultural Policy payments they receive. The size of the penalty will depend on the severity of each case with most penalties said to be in the region of 5 percent of CAP payments.

Defra's record for ensuring testing and cattle measures are respected was criticised by EU Commission investigators in 2011. In 2012, Defra figures show 6,650 TB tests in England were overdue out of a total 21,398.

In a written statement to parliament on Thursday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said, "Late testing is unacceptable, so from 1 January 2014 anyone who fails to complete their test by the set deadline, even by one day, will see their CAP Scheme payment reduced. The reductions will vary, depending on the seriousness of the case, but the outcome I want to see is no late testing at all."

Defra has opened a consultation on other measures to strengthen cattle controls. The consultation opened on Thursday morning and will run for seven weeks.

Defra is also proposing that:

• Cattle from higher TB risk herds moving to and from common land will be required to be pre-movement tested;
• Phasing out the practice of de-restricting parts of TB-restricted premises so that the entire farm is given the same TB risk status;
• Sharing the location details of TB breakdowns so farmers can better manage the disease risks to their herds; and
• That in exceptional circumstances where TB testing an animal is not safe, the animal will be culled without a TB test.

A TB Information note contains more detail on the strengthened testing compliance measures.

Some farmers are likely to find the new measure more taxing than others – the requirements will notably affect farmers whose animals graze common land. In his statement, Mr Paterson acknowledged that, "We will need to find ways of ensuring that the testing requirements do not prejudice the very important part that grazing on some commons plays in protecting and maintaining valuable habitats."