TB Wreaks Havoc in Great Britain

UK - Recent Bovine Tuberculosis figures from the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reveal that 2007 has become the worst year in modern times for outbreaks.

14 January 2008

2 minute read

Europe

With results for December still to be counted, Defra figures published this week show that there were 3,711 new herd outbreaks in Great Britain up to the end of November, as compared with the 3,673 recorded in the whole of the previous worst year of 2005. According to the the UK National Farmers' Union, if December results follow a similar pattern, the final total for the whole year will be over 4,000.

In the 11 months covered by the figures, over 25,000 cattle were slaughtered as TB reactors or dangerous contacts.

NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said that the figures represented a "spreadsheet of suffering" and repeated his call for the Government to take urgent and decisive action to address all aspects of the worsening situation.

"While Hilary Benn shilly-shallies, TB is continuing to spread like a dark stain across the map of England and Wales", said Mr Raymond.

"The situation is fast becoming a national disgrace and the Government has run out of excuses for sitting on its hands. The advice from the outgoing Chief Scientist was quite clear: TB in the badger population must be tackled if the tide of disease is to be turned."

Mr Raymond said that the farming community was prepared to play its full part but that a decision from Government to tackle all aspects of the spread of TB was urgently needed if the situation was not to run totally out of control.