皇家华人met with Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner, alongside APHA Director Gareth Baynham-Hughes, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer and Deputy Director of the TB Programme at Defra Ele Brown and Lead Scientist for btB at APHA, Camille Harrison and other officials on Gatcombe farm to discuss the benefits of using supplementary private bTB testing on a voluntary basis to empower farmers further in the fight against the disease.聽
Speaking with Gatcombe tenant farmer Robert Reed and Project Director and Senior Veterinarian Dick Sibley, officials saw first-hand the benefits of this approach. Following a TB breakdown at Gatcombe, enhanced testing was permitted together with a disease control programme which has helped reduce TB incidents on farm.聽
Due to the legal constraints, enhanced testing is no longer permissible. While strict biosecurity measures remained in place, officials learnt of the potential benefits to changes in regulations that additional private testing could bring towards reducing suspected residual disease in the herd.
Robert and Dick now wish to develop a project that can offer an insight into the influence enhanced testing can bring to endemically infected large scale dairy herds, ensuring scientific rigour to demonstrate the effectiveness and economic sustainability of additional testing within such herds.
NFU key asks聽
We believe that supplementary private testing can play a role in the future strategy, considering the influential role that PVS (private veterinary surgeons) have as trusted delivery partners assisting farmers in the management of bTB on farm.
To be successful in this delivery, PVS and farmers need greater flexibility and autonomy at herd level to access and utilise supplementary testing for bTB.
Increased use of supplementary private testing has the potential to reveal undisclosed infection and identify potentially higher-risk animals, enabling better management, reduced disease transmission and lower economic impact to government and industry.
Controlled regular and increased use of supplementary private tests will also provide important data to further profile test performance characteristics under live settings.
The NFU, BVA and BCVA therefore call for APHA and Defra to:
- Enhance the private testing policy to include greater flexibility and accessibility to WOAH standard validated bTB tests, facilitating custom disease management plans.
- Work with APHA and stakeholders to build a policy for management of cattle testing positive on private tests that remain negative on statutory testing, acknowledging this would require changes to notifiable disease legislation
- Deliver ongoing resource, investment and analysis of validated novel tests and combinations which should inform and evolve testing policies.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: 鈥淢aintaining progress following 10years of the bTB eradication strategy remains a high priority for our members. The continued impact bTB has on farmers, farming businesses and their families cannot be taken lightly. 聽
鈥淚t was positive to engage the Farming Minister in discussions on measures that have the potential to tackle persistently infected herds and empower farmers and vets to deal with this insidious disease.
鈥溁始一藄upports independent bTB research and development that delivers scientific rigor and tangible cost-benefits. Access to control measures that offer the greatest advances in bTB eradication must be prioritised.鈥�
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