Bovine TB Blog

February 2008 - Posts

• Defra must 'Spend to Save'

  The main message from the EFRAcom final report was that government must not shirk its responsibility with regard to the control of bTb. They must, said chairman Michael Jack MP, 'spend to save'. "Defra currently faces budgetary pressures... Posted Feb 29 2008, 08:26 AM by Bovine TB

• Industry 7 point plan

  In the absence of any sign of such an elusive animal from Defra, the NFU has spearheaded an industry 'plan' to 'contain and eradicate' bovine tuberculosis from the wildlife and cattle herds and thus prevent its spillover into other mammalian... Posted Feb 28 2008, 06:41 PM by Bovine TB

• "Further procrastination is unsustainable..."

  The influential EFRA (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) select committee has produced a report into the ISG's ten year Badger Culling Dispersal trial, and concluded that an annual cull of sentinel cattle is not working to reduce and eradicate bTb... Posted Feb 27 2008, 08:37 AM by Bovine TB

• Veggie-Benn at the NFU conference

  Addressing the NFU conference yesterday, the BBC report that Defra Minister Hillary Wedgwood-Benn announced he would make no decision on Britain's appalling Tb situation "until the EFRA Committee delivered its report". As GB's bTB figures... Posted Feb 19 2008, 12:09 PM by Bovine TB

• Another Llama farmer 'devastated'.

  Bovine tuberculosis has hit a llama herd in West Wales, killing half the animals. Western Telegraph reports that Wales' second largest herd of llamas has been decimated by an outbreak of bTb. Although cattle are routinely tested for the disease, llamas... Posted Feb 18 2008, 04:49 PM by Bovine TB

• BTEC in Australia - pest destruction Oz style

  Some countries around the world have wildlife reservoirs of bTb - but how they deal with them, is very much dependent on their government's attitude to agriculture, food production and / or exports and of course public health. Much is made of the... Posted Feb 14 2008, 12:18 AM by Bovine TB

• Re-examining the situation..

  In a new report, scientists from the University of Stirling have re-examined data on cattle movements - which have been the subject of some wild accusations regarding the spread of bovine Tb. Although not backed up by spoligotype data, much was made of... Posted Feb 13 2008, 05:31 PM by Bovine TB

• Lose the paperwork

  Defra's infamous table valuations alledgedly constructed to "deliver value to the taxpayer" - if not to the livestock farmer on the receiving end - have had a bizarre effect on the pedigree dairy sector during the last few weeks for cattle... Posted Feb 09 2008, 08:34 AM by Bovine TB

• " Defra have no policy...

  ... and have spent £1 billion to no good effect in the last decade". So said Lord Rooker, 1 hour and nine minutes into a slippery session with the EFRA (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) committee on December 10th. This was a long and tortuous... Posted Feb 08 2008, 08:50 PM by Bovine TB