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Vet accused of TB test failings

CAMBRIAN NEWS
20 April 2011

AN Aberaeron vet wrongly diagnosed a cow with bovine tuberculosis, leaving a farmer unable to sell on any of her herd, a hearing has heard.

vet

Wyn Lewis of Derwydd, Felinwynt, is facing a four-day disciplinary hearing of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons after allegedly ignoring official guidelines when inspecting a herd at Plas Pantsaeson, Moylegrove, in 2009.

The 56-year-old who works for Priory Veterinary in Aberaeron and Cardigan, denies failing to carry out accurate checks for bovine TB and submitting paperwork which reported he had done so.

Lewis was hired by Agency Animal Health to carry out tests on 104 animals, but allegedly simply glanced at some and used his thumb and forefinger to measure others instead of using proper instruments. Proper procedure includes measuring skin folds to the nearest millimetre before and after injecting animals.

Nicole Curtis, for the RCVS said farmers Helen and Angela Winsor were stunned as Lewis "pinched skin between his first finger and thumb" and returned three days later to simply run his hands over the injection site for some cows or just glance over others.

He gave the farm the all clear but was later asked to use his disputed measurements to recalculate the likelihood of any cattle carrying the disease under more strict criteria.

The new results found a single cow with an "inconclusive" diagnosis, and the entire herd was quarantined as a precaution.

Ms Winsor later claimed the cow was one of several that Lewis failed to even touch during his checks.

The hearing heard that Lewis admitted skipping parts of the test because of time pressures and that he felt precise measurements were unnecessary but that practicing for 30 years he would have been "extremely familiar" with the health requirements.

The hearing continues

 

 

 

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