Free our countryside from TB (From Wiltshire Times)

Free our countryside from TB

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) announces a new strategy to control this disease.

A healthy countryside with all susceptible species free from bovine TB could be a reality if the Government and the farming sector follow recommendations set out in a new 'control and eradication' strategy published recently by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

Sarah Slade, the CLA's national adviser on bovine TB and author of the report, says: "Bovine TB is a distressing disease in any animal, whether it is a badger, cow, deer or other mammal and prevarication by Defra plus a costly approach to appease single interest groups have lead to an increase in cattle infection rates from one per cent in 1997 to nearly six per cent in 2004.

Mrs Slade, who is one of the CLA's South West rural surveyors, says that the exponential rise in the disease over the last eight years clearly demonstrates the need for a change in strategy from tackling the control of it in one species cattle to tackling it in all susceptible species.

"The CLA believes that the most pressing need is to stop the year-on-year increase in the incidence of bovine TB. While there is hope of new control techniques, new methods of identifying the disease and new vaccines coming forward in the future, for the present the focus must be on those methods which have been proven to reduce incidence of the disease including the interim measure of culling."

The strategy recommends: o Urgent action to identify, prevent and eradicate the disease in cattle and in wildlife o Abandoning government proposals for pre-movement testing of cattle and properly implementing EU testing intervals o A partnership approach and improved communications between Defra and stakeholders as well as a full publication of research papers o Continuation of research and the use of research from other countries (simultaneous to tackling the spread of the disease, not as an excuse to delay action) o Based on the evidence of a number of studies (most recently the Irish Four Areas Trial which led to 96 per cent reduction in bovine TB), similar badger culling strategies to be employed across hotspot areas in the UK o Outside hotspot areas, trials of scientific methods to establish if badger setts can be suitably identified as infected or clean so that culling need only take place of infected setts.

"Our measures require no new legislation," says Mrs Slade. "They can be implemented immediately, subject to the Minister granting the necessary licenses. This is a battle against a disease, not a vendetta against any single species. Control and eventual elimination of bovine TB is essential for animal and human health. Our strategy is not an a la carte menu where the preferable items can be chosen and the less palatable ones ignored. This is a holistic, balanced approach and we strongly urge its adoption in order to rid our countryside and wildlife of this horrible disease."

Bovine TB facts and figures o From 1997 to 2005, there has been: An 18 per cent increase in new bovine TB incidents Eight per cent more herds affected 40 per cent more herds under movement restrictions due to risk of infection.

o Since the cessation of the culling ('clean ring') strategy in 1986, there has been an average 20 per cent year-on-year increase in bovine TB.

o In 1997 almost 28 per cent of badgers examined by Defra were found to be infected.

o Studies have confirmed the presence of bovine TB in a wide range of wild mammals including deer, fox, stoat and polecat and also within domestic cats and in pigs.