New TB Control Measures

DEFRA has announced from 1st January 2014 any farm which has an overdue cattle TB test will receive a penalty deduction from its Single Payment.  The amount of reduction will depend on the severity of the case but most can expect to see their payment reduced by 5% even if the test is only one day late.  According to DEFRA there were 21,398 TB tests carried out in England in 2012 and of these 6650 (31%) were overdue.

The announcement was made in a written statement to Parliament, which also included details of the launch of a consultation on proposals for further tightening of cattle controls, including:

• abolishing the pre-movement testing exemption for movements of cattle to and from common land
• phasing out the practice of lifting bovine TB restrictions on parts of a restricted holding
• enabling wild or untestable cattle to be culled, as a last resort
• building on the risk-based trading scheme (reported in November’s Bulletin) by making available the location of bovine TB herd breakdowns so farmers can better manage the disease risks to their herds.

The consultation closes on 10th January.  Further information can be found at; https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/bovine-tb-new-control-measures-tackling-transmission-between-cattle-herds