We are down with TB and on restrictions!

Yes it has happened. After years of being TB free our test last week showed one bullock as a reactor, and we are now under restrictions.

Let me explain........

The vet came out on Wednesday and pricks every cow, calf, bull on our farm with a little bit of TB, then two days later they come out again and we get every animal back in and the vet measures the lump which inevitably appears on each beast. there is a size by which the vet suggests that the beast has 'reacted' to the TB which suggests the beast is infected with TB and therefore you must abide by laws and legislation laid down to protect the rest of your herd and industry.

This means that the one beast which is showing as a reactor must be slaughtered. In Wales we have an auctioneer who comes out then to agree a compensation value for your beast which is paid to us by the Welsh Assembly Government. Apparently the vet has told me that actually TB infected cattle can go into the food chain, but the ministry representative says she has not been able to retrieve a carcass for anyone yet, so it appears these beasts are not condemned to protect human health, in the food chain, but to reduce the risk of spreading the infection amongst other bovines or wildlife.

We must then re-test again in 60 days. Meanwhile we are restricted to only taking cattle to be direct to an abattoir. So if we wanted to sell any of our bullocks fat at a market, or any breeding heifers or cows we would not be able to. Luckily we are in the position where most of our cattle do go directly to the abattoir so they can be processed in the butchery, but can you now start to understand how this disease is crippling the farming industry, when farmers who rely on taking aft animals to markets or store cattle have only the option of fattening and selling directly to an abattoir, so their market negotiations, and full options are halted and they have no option than to take the price which is offered to them.

The beast which proved to be a reactor is one of four that we bought in from a local farmer, the other three have already gone through the butchers shop, so fingers crossed we will hopefully have a good result when we test again in 60 days, as the bullock has not been mixed with any of our original herd and therefore should not have proved a threat.

It concerned me that the bullock we bought in had had a pre-movement TB test when we purchased him, along with his butties (brothers),and this proved negative, however the vet explained that the TB test is only 70% accurate. So 70 % of reactors don't in fact have TB and 70% of beats testing negative could have TB. 1000's of cattle every year are slaughtered on this basis, 100's of farming families are affected.

We have several badger sets on our farm, we are convinced that our badgers are not infected with TB. As badgers are territorial they must keep new badgers from moving in, badgers who potentially carry the same strain of TB which cattle contract. As we buy new feeding troughs we are buying very tall ones which cattle can feed at but badgers can not reach. There are many photographs of badgers eating side by side from troughs with cattle and touching noses in fattening sheds, these are all ways in which the TB virus can be spread.

As a farmer who passionately has the welfare of my cattle and family business and national industry at heart, I have only one avenue of thought....... that a carefully planned culling of infected Badgers in high TB areas must take place. Cries of "no no" to killing badgers must be swept aside, after all the Britain has for a long time now sen nothing wrong with the widespread culling of infected cattle, with little success of slowing down or eradicating the disease, further steps must be taken and soon!