NFU Scotland has welcomed Scottish Executive plans to toughen up measures to prevent bovine tuberculosis (TB) entering Scotland. The Executive proposes introducing compulsory pre-movement and post-movement testing of all cattle imported into Scotland from high risk areas of England and Wales by autumn of this year.

In particular, NFUS has welcomed the proposal that all animals from high risk areas will be tested, regardless of age. In June, a Defra working group recommended that only cattle over 15 months of age would be subject to testing. NFUS expressed serious concern that limiting the scope of testing would hinder efforts to keep TB out of Scotland and therefore welcome the Executive's plans to include all cattle from high risk areas in its testing regime.

Whilst supporting the measures proposed by the Executive, in some cases NFUS is urging for the legislation to go further to protect Scotland's very low incidence of TB. In its response to the Executive's consultation on proposed measures, NFUS is recommending the following steps to strengthen the proposals:

• Cattle passports should be tracked across an animal's lifetime, not just for the 12-month period proposed by the Executive. NFUS believes this is essential to address the potential loophole of an animal originating from a high risk area, but avoiding testing by being moved to Scotland from a low risk area of England and Wales later in its life.
  
• Where cattle are imported from a high risk area into a Scottish herd, that whole herd should be subject to movement restrictions, other than to slaughter, until the post-movement test is carried out.
  
• A legal requirement should be placed on those selling from high risk areas to ensure cattle have been pre-movement tested. The current wording only places an onus on purchasers to take reasonable steps to ensure a test has been completed.

NFUS has also welcomed the decision in Scotland to press ahead with legislation ahead of England and Wales.

NFUS Vice President Bob Howat said:

"We are pleased that the Executive is driving forward its TB policy ahead of England and Wales. With the disease still rife in many areas south of the border we need to take every step possible to keep it out of our cattle and wildlife populations. We still only have a handful of cases each year and it must remain that way.

"Pre and post-movement testing is an extremely important step and we must ensure it is as stringent as possible. We have recommended some areas where the new rules could be further strengthened. We have seen the consequences of policy failure in England and Wales and whilst strict rules can cause difficulties, on an issue as important as disease prevention, Scotland must adopt a belt and braces approach."