READ THE FULL NEWSLETTER HERE - TB DISCUSSION IN THE VETERINARY PRESS

'It is impossible to meet our officially bTB-free targets with the current testing policy' 

The above statement was recently made in an opinion piece submitted to the Vet Record (Journal of the British Veterinary Association) by Professor Neil Watt MRCVS (Veterinary Pathologist at the University of Edinburgh and Co-founder of MV Diagnostics) and Keith Cutler MRCVS (Veterinary Surgeon at Synergy Farm Health and Director of Cattle Health Certification Standards). The pair argue that DEFRA's aim of achieving officially bovine tuberculosis (bTB)-free status for England by 2038 is unlikely to be met without drastic change to testing and policy. 

APHA have admitted themselves, albeit quietly, that their policy is not quite up to scratch: a report from the 2023 Official Veterinarian conference stated, 'Bovine TB eradication targets may not be met.' Many who have attended TB meetings will have seen that in public, the party line from DEFRA is that their TB control policies are robust and effective. Looking at the www.tbhub.co.uk interactive bovine TB statistics dashboard, you might think that their claims of a successful eradication plan are not completely farfetched. The data does show some improvement across England.

Other recent reports have also indicated that much of the reductions in the incidence of OTF-Withdrawn (OTF-W) breakdowns (TB outbreaks where Visible Lesions are found in reactors) can be attributed to the badger culls.

Read the full newsletter and the relevant data in the link above, as well as our own conclusion.

JULY NEWSLETTER HERE FROM THE GEORGE FARM VETS

'It is impossible to meet our officially bTB-free targets with the current testing policy' 

The above statement was recently made in an opinion piece submitted to the Vet Record (Journal of the British Veterinary Association) by Professor Neil Watt MRCVS (Veterinary Pathologist at the University of Edinburgh and Co-founder of MV Diagnostics) and Keith Cutler MRCVS (Veterinary Surgeon at Synergy Farm Health and Director of Cattle Health Certification Standards).

The pair argue that DEFRA's aim of achieving officially bovine tuberculosis (bTB)-free status for England by 2038 is unlikely to be met without drastic change to testing and policy.

!APHA have admitted themselves, albeit quietly, that their policy is not quite up to scratch: a report from the 2023 Official Veterinarian conference stated, 'Bovine TB eradication targets may not be met.'

Many who have attended TB meetings will have seen that in public, the party line from DEFRA is that their TB control policies are robust and effective. Looking at the www.tbhub.co.uk interactive bovine TB statistics dashboard, you might think that their claims of a successful eradication plan are not completely farfetched. The data does show some improvement across England.

Other recent reports have also indicated that much of the reductions in the incidence of OTF-Withdrawn (OTF-W) breakdowns (TB outbreaks where Visible Lesions are found in reactors) can be attributed to the badger culls.

Find out more about by clicking to see the whole newsletter above.