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Region’s farmers urged to avoid cattle from TB areas

EDITORIAL COMMENT:
So much for badgers taking coach trips up North....

 DARLINGTON AND STOCKTON TIMES
12 April 2011 | by Mike Bridgen
FARMERS and cattle dealers have been urged not to bring cattle from bovine TB-infected areas into Yorkshire and the North-East.

A regional livestock board meeting of the National Farmers’ Union in Thirsk said the region’s cattle and wildlife were TB-free.

Adam Bedford, NFU regional policy adviser, said the few incidents that had occurred all involved cattle brought in from infected areas.

“They had nothing to do with wildlife, they have all come from cattle movements,” he said.

According to Defra, most cases of bovine TB are concentrated in the South-West and West Midlands, although it has gradually been spreading north

Last year, about 6,000 of the 57,000 registered cattle herds in England were under TB restrictions.

All herds in England are tested on a one to four-year basis, depending on the level of risk. Herds with TB breakdowns are tested more often to clear out infected animals.

In 2010, more than 41,000 tests were carried out on almost 5.5m cattle, of which more than 24,000 were reactors. In the 2009-10 financial year, TB cost Defra £63m.

The Thirsk meeting was told Defra estimates each TB breakdown costs the farmer an average of £30,000.

Mr Bedford said: “We spoke to a farmer in a restricted area who reckoned it had cost him £100,000 and that was without any cattle being slaughtered.”

Hans Porksen, livestock committee chairman, said they could only urge people not to bring cattle into the region from infected areas. “Basically it is up to ourselves,” he said.

Richard Findlay, livestock committee member, said: “Noone in their right mind should be bringing in cattle from hotspots, no matter how often they have been tested.”

Frank Chislett, committee member from West Yorkshire, said his area had suddenly been moved from a four-year to two-year testing zone, which had angered local farmers.

“It came out of the blue and was a shock,” he said. “We are TB-clear but are now in a pre-test movement area.”

Another farmer said very young calves, which do not have to be pretested, could still pose a risk.

He said: “It is down to peer pressure.

If you know people who are buying from the South ask them not to.”

 

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