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BVA and CLA responses to Government's
plans for bovine TB
Editorial
Filed 02 Mar 05
©www.land-care.org.uk
DEFRA published on Tuesday 1st March the Government's
new strategic framework for bovine TB (bTB) (1).
BVA Response
British Veterinary Association President Dr Bob
McCracken said:
"With the increasing incidence and spread of bTB new and
improved controls are clearly required if not overdue. We shall
need to study the Government's proposals closely before responding
in detail but do welcome the commitment to the development of
a stronger regional approach. The profession has no
doubt that specific control policies need to be tailored to reflect
regional variations in disease risk.
"By the very nature of our work, with our scientific and
practical expertise, vets are in the front line of disease control
and we welcome the Government's acknowledgement of this role in
delivering effective bTB surveillance and control testing as well
as in offering essential advice to farmers. However, as we have
pointed out repeatedly recently, the viability of farm animal
practice in many parts of the country remains perilous. As the
Government itself points out in the strategy document, 'in some
areas of the country, bTB testing plays a significant role in
maintaining the presence of large-animal practices'. We are at
something of a loss as to how this acknowledgement equates with
its view that 'legal recognition of lay testers may provide a
more flexible and larger pool of testing personnel' and can only
hope that the proposed action plan to address our concerns about
the provision of veterinary services to livestock farmers will
also address night and weekend cover for those areas of the
country which could soon find themselves devoid of farm animal
veterinary practices."
CLA response
The Country Land & Business Association
(CLA) expressed disappointment that Defra's new ten-year strategy
for tackling bovine tuberculosis (TB) is sidestepping the most effective
method of tackling the disease due to concerns over the 'social
acceptability' of culling. It accuses DEFRA of "failing to
grasp the nettle".
Mark Hudson, CLA President said:
"Fortunately the Framework hasn't
discounted culling but when are we going to be able to implement
culling as a control measure to break the cycle of this disease?
"Why are we still waiting for the
results of the flawed Krebs trials when the recent Irish study
irrefutably shows the benefits of culling in tackling TB hotspots?
(2)
"Bovine TB currently costs the tax
payer £64m in testing and compensation and Defra estimate
that cost will rise to £300m by 2012. The incidence of TB
in the UK continues to increase with ever greater numbers of herds
affected by the disease.
"If we are ever to control TB
in this country, then we have to control it in wildlife too.
There is no escaping this and when the Minister cites "social
acceptability" as a reason for avoiding the most effective
method of control, it does nothing to engender our confidence
that Defra will take necessary but unpopular decisions."
©www.land-care.org.uk
References
1. The new Government Strategic
Framework for the sustainable control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB)
in Great Britain
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/index.htm
2. Griffin, J.M., Williams,
D.H., Kelly, G.E., Clegg, T.A., O'Boyle, I., Collins, J.D. &
More, S.J. (2005). The impact of badger removal on the control of
tuberculosis in cattle herds in Ireland.
Preventative Veterinary Medicine, Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
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