Possums present solutions for TB in Wales
26/08/05

Possums, Buffalo and White Tail Deer could hold the key to the successful eradication of TB in cattle in Wales, according to CLA Wales Director, Julian Salmon. He's been attending an international TB conference in Dublin, which has convinced him that the disease has to be controlled in the wildlife hosts. Vaccination and gamma interferon testing are also long term tools.

Mr Salmon said there was universal recognition of the need to control and manage the disease in the vectors, the wildlife population, in the interests of both wildlife and cattle. Four well researched studies had unequivocally proved that you had to control and manage the wildlife reservoir as a key part of an overall control strategy.

"We were given examples of how the disease is being managed in buffalo and lions in the Game Reserves of South Africa, in the possums in New Zealand, and the White Tail Deer in Michigan, as well as the badgers in Ireland", he added.

"They are using, testing, and also vaccination trials as well as culling. It's also increasingly evident that it needs the use of more than just one diagnostic tool to combat the disease. In addition to the skin tests, selective use of the gamma interferon as a parallel test in problem herds helps to identify sub clinical carriers before disease takes hold and so hastens eradication.

"It's vital to detect and combat low level infection, particularly in problem herds where there

is chronic infection or in herds where there appears to be infection for no apparent reason. There also needs to be regular testing. Northern Ireland, for example, is introducing vigorous penalties for not doing regular and pre movement animal testing".

Mr Salmon said there was also a crucial need to be flexible in combating the disease at a local level. Money had to continue to be spent on research, and more effort made to collaborate at an international level. This includes both the farming community and wilfdlife and environmental interests.

Mr Salmon represented the Country Land and Business Association at the fourth Mycobacterium Bovis Conference, organised by the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis at Dublin Castle. He will be reporting on his findings to Welsh Assembly Countryside Minister Carwyn Jones and urging him to draw on international experience of TB, particularly with regard to the wildlife reservoir.