TB Strategy Unveiled

DEFRA have unveiled their strategy for achieving TB free status in the UK. A total of 32,620 cattle were slaughtered as TB reactors or direct contacts during 2013. Owen Patterson has suggested unless a dynamic approach is taken we will see increased numbers of herds affected, a further geographical spread and a taxpayer bill exceeding £1bn within the next decade.

The objective of the strategy is to achieve Officially Bovine Tuberculosis Free (OTF) status for England by 2038. By 2025 the aim is for large parts of the north and east of England to have OTF status. Three key actions have been identified:

1. Establish three bTB management regions- high risk, low risk and an edge area (buffer zone).
2. Apply a range of measures to control the disease that are practical and proportionate to the risk whilst maintaining an economically sustainable livestock industry.
3. Ensure that there is shared governance of the delivery process between the main beneficiaries and the taxpayer.

Low risk areas will be required to complete 4 yearly herd testing and improved risk based testing, edge and high risk areas will require annual tests. There are proposed post movement testing in low risk areas as well as a move to end the partial de-restricting of herds.

Additional measures in the edge area include increased badger surveillance and plans to develop oral badger and cattle vaccines. Trials for the cattle vaccine are expected to start next year.  In addition to the edge area measure high risk areas will look at badger culling. Within high risk areas the document proposes additional use of gamma interferon tests in some herds, for example where the risk of TB infection from badgers is under control and moves to improve epidemiological investigation of breakdowns, including use of genetic sequencing.

Meanwhile, in which will be a bitter blow for many farmers, DEFRA has said it will not roll out the badger cull to new areas this year.  It has not ruled out expanding the cull areas in future years but for 2014 culling will only be licensed to continue in the two areas in Gloucestershire and Somerset, with changes implemented based on the findings from the Independent Expert Panel.  Many had hoped that a new cull area in Dorset would have been approved, but after the findings from the IEP it is perhaps not too surprising this hasn’t happened.