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13/11/06
The National Beef Association has asked Defra to set up a system
that allows farms in parishes caught up with 1-2 year TB testing
to return to 3-4 year testing status if low TB levels confirm
1-2 year testing is no longer justified.
NBA chairman, Duff Burrell
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This would mean that some farms currently faced with pre-movement
testing (PrMT), including those in parishes where there are no
herds under current TB restriction, could enjoy a welcome return
to a non-PrMT zone.
“Farms in parishes that are burdened with 1-2 year TB testing status account
for 46 per cent of English cattle herds and at present there is no escape route
from a permanent pre-movement testing (PrMT) sentence,” explained NBA chairman,
Duff Burrell.
“Some of these holdings will be in parishes where only a single case TB
case has been discovered as a result of an infected animal moving in after FMD
re-stocking four years ago.”
“If the herds in these parishes that triggered the original TB2s have been
cleared, and TB was not spread to surrounding farms by infected wildlife, the
NBA thinks there are big advantages to both farmers and to government if these
parishes quickly return to 3-4 year testing status.”
“Movement from a 3-4 year to 1-2 year testing parish should not be a one-way
ticket. It is counterproductive in both cost and industry-government relationship
terms if Defra has no way of re-establishing 3-4 year testing when there is no
reason for 1-2 year testing to continue.”
“We have asked for discussions on a formula that could be used to determine
when parish status could change. The NBA is quite sure there should be positive
rewards for farms in parishes that no longer have a recent TB history,” Mr
Burrell added.
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