(Minister of State for
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food): Today I am
updating the House on the implementation of the Government’s
strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England by 2038.
Bovine TB remains one of the greatest animal health threats to
the UK, causing significant hardship and distress for
hard-working farmers and rural communities. Government and
industry are therefore continuing to take strong action to
eradicate the disease.
Professor Sir Charles Godfray’s independent review of the
strategy highlighted a number of potential further actions while
noting the difficulties associated with eradicating bovine TB.
The review’s conclusions include improving surveillance in cattle
herds, the need to continue to address the disease in badgers and
for more research and development (R&D). We continue to
assess the review’s findings and plan to publish a full response
in due course. I am however today providing further information
on reinforcing TB testing in the High Risk Area, announcing plans
to invite further applications to our badger vaccination grant
scheme and confirming the licensing and authorisation by Natural
England of three supplementary badger control areas for 2019.
Further information is available on gov.uk.
In May 2018 we announced that from 2020 we would introduce
six-monthly cattle surveillance testing, with less frequent
testing for lower risk herds, in the High Risk Area (HRA) of
England to enable earlier detection and eradication of disease,
and to prevent it spreading to new areas. Having considered the
likely demands that roll out across the whole of the HRA in one
step would place on cattle herd owners and the veterinary
businesses that carry out the vast majority of the testing we are
now working on a phased introduction from 2020. We will provide
further details to affected cattle keepers and veterinary
businesses in due course.
Vaccination of badgers against TB using BCG can provide a level
of protection and can play a role in limiting TB spread to
healthy badger populations. Therefore, a third round of
applications for the ‘Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme’ (BEVS 2) is
now open, with further grant funding available to private groups
wishing to carry out badger vaccination in the Edge Area of
England. Groups will receive at least 50% funding towards their
eligible costs. This builds on the four initial four-year
projects we have funded.
Alongside this we are investing in social and economic research
to understand farmer behaviours and drivers of: cattle purchase
and movement; attitudes to risk-based trading; attitudes to
biosecurity, wildlife control and vaccination; and analysis of
pros and cons of compensation versus insurance schemes.
In May 2019 fieldwork closed on a self-completion postal survey.
Over 1250 responses were received from herd owners across
England. This will provide national representative estimates of
cattle farmers’ attitudes and behaviours and towards biosecurity,
cattle purchasing, and what influences of on-farm decision
making. We expect to publish headline findings in July 2019.
In July 2019 fieldwork will commence on a telephone survey of
1500 HRA and Edge Area farms which have suffered a breakdown. The
survey will estimate the monetary costs involved in a bovine TB
breakdown which herd owners are not compensated for. Including
increased staffing and housing costs, and loss of productivity.
This will allow accurate analysis of the financial impact of the
disease to industry and individual farms. The project will report
early 2020.
We are determined to eradicate this devastating disease as
quickly as possible.
