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Tag switching to beat TB is ‘widespread’

DAILY POST (Wales)
5 July 2011
by Andrew Forgrave, DPW West 

ALL badger culling in England and Wales must be abandoned until the cattle sector has addressed recent tag-switching “scandals”, say animal welfare campaigners.

The Badger Trust said it was now clear that the practice of switching ear tags to foil bovine TB (bTB) controls was commonplace and not isolated, as first claimed.

It follows last week’s conviction of Powys producer Emyr Jones Evans, of Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa, near Llanfyllin, who admitted six offences after the identities of cattle were swapped.

He was given a 12-months prison sentence at Mold Crown Court, suspended for 18 months, placed on supervision for a year and ordered to pay £28,900 costs.

Earlier this year an investigation by Gloucestershire Trading Standards exposed the switching of ear tags when reviewing TB cattle sent to two slaughterhouses.

Other similar cases have since emerged, said Badger Trust spokesman Jack Reedy, who said claims by farm groups that only “some” farmers were involved was clearly optimistic

“Five counties in the Midlands and the South West of England and now Powys are implicated,” he said.

“Bovine TB will continue to be difficult to eradicate without universal annual testing and tighter movement controls, despite the economic consequences.

“Killing badgers is not an alternative.”

Tag switching has been condemned by the NFU, which said the actions of individual farmers was completely at odds with the industry’s determination to stamp out bovine TB.

“I am really struggling to understand why farmers would undertake the sorts of activities being highlighted,” said NFU president Peter Kendall.

It applauded moves by UK rural ministry Defra to DNA tag cattle which test positive for the disease.

UK agriculture minister Jim Paice admitted there was evidence that suspected fraudulent behaviour was not restricted to one or two farm businesses.

In response to the Badger Trust, he said: “Because of the worrying findings from Gloucestershire, additional slaughterhouse surveys have been initiated in Cornwall, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Cheshire.

“We are closely monitoring the findings from these. We will also be identifying high risk herds to target AHVLA inspections where there is evidence of suspicious ear tag ordering.”

Mold Crown Court heard that Emyr Jones Evans, 51, was a shadow of his former self after being kicked in the head by a horse. He had memory loss and was no longer a partner in the farm.

On his 400-acre farm, 180 cattle were found to be TB reactors and identified for slaughter in late 2009, for which the farm was compensated to the tune of £400,000.

After sentencing, Ken Yorston of Powys trading standards said the case should act as a deterrent to other farmers tempted to breach animal health regulations.

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