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26-29 November 2002Routine testing of Cultybraggan cattle for Tuberculosis and BrucellosisAll results negative
Cultybraggan farm runs a closed herd of cattle - i.e. no cattle have been bought in from other farms for some 3 years. It has sufficient bulls for sometime to come to avoid the use of artificial insemination (AI) involving imported semen. While this greatly reduces the risk of disease being introduced into the herd, it does not remove that risk altogether. There is great concern among livestock farmers at the prolonged field trials that are being conducted in the UK regarding badgers, when it has long been known that badgers can indeed transmit tuberculosis (TB) to cattle (1, 2, 3). Conservationists would like badgers conserved, and have little thought for the nation’s farm livestock. Disease can also be introduced into the herd (or flock in the case of sheep) if the health status of the livestock in neighbouring farms is a problem. There may be difficulty in achieving or maintaining good fencing at the march between farms. Ideally, there should be double fencing, but this is highly expensive, and may cause practical problems should ditches be involved and the necessity to clean them from time to time with appropriate machinery. The highly regrettable approach of the Organic Farming Movement towards animal health is a major worry, as they discourage proper prophylactic procedures to prevent disease arising. While preventive procedures have been shown to be immensely successful in human medicine, the Organic Movement seems to wish to deny their animals similar benefits on illogical grounds (4). Should a neighbour not be diligent about animal health on his holding, it is unlikely that he will be co-operative with regard to fencing either. Good standards of animal health also depend on a good supply of clean drinking water. Those of us who have tried to achieve this by providing mains water to the drinking troughs have been stung by the Water Authority putting up its charges to uneconomic levels, and imposing draconian financial penalties should any leaks occur (in a 540 acre farm!). Their own major water leaks, however, occur with impunity, being excused apparently by bad maintenance and the need for even more money. It is also difficult to have confidence that a good level of animal health care can be mantained when, in Scotland, the Parliament seems determined to give the public essentially unfettered acces - even in relation to enclosed land around urban communities when paths are already available (but poorly maintained by the authorities). It is difficult to achieve a high standard of animal health unless farming is economically reasonably prosperous.
Reference1. The Independent Scientific
Group on Cattle TB (ISG): 2. Farmers Guardian (2003). TB Crisis: Badger Cull Resistance. 14 February 2003. 3. Warmwell. TB is now raging through our herd. 18 February 2003. www.warmwell.com 4. Editorial Comment (2002). “Organic
Farmers will have to get real” says Professor McKellar. |