Bovine TB Blog

SAM chaos - it " should never have happened"

Bovine TB — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:56:02 GMT

Speaking in oral evidence to the EFRA committee on 1st February, SAM, Defra's new, all singing but not dancing, computer system gets a mention in the last few minutes of the video. More of that session in a separate posting. But to save you ploughing...(read more)

Crisis? Wot crisis?

Bovine TB — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:27:02 GMT

Last week, all livestock keepers in SW England received a letter, explaining new changes and "why they are necessary". Now 'change' - if not undertaken for the sake of it - usually implies improvement, but with Government in general...(read more)

SAM says 2 + 2 = 3 (or is it 5?)

Bovine TB — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:44:04 GMT

Everyone, from the Treasury's bean-counters downwards to your lowly bloggers, watch Defra's monthly TB statistics for signs of change. Over the past decade we have watched the inevitable and predictable rise in slaughtered cattle, as bTB has spread...(read more)

Cull areas announced

Bovine TB — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:34:00 GMT

Today the North Devon edition of the Western Morning News announced the preferred sites of the two pilot badger culls. From the report...: One of the pilot areas will be on Exmoor and the other around Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, according to industry...(read more)

The pennies start to drop.

Bovine TB — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:05:04 GMT

As 2012 dawns, farmers and their representatives begin to grapple with the nitty gritty of the 'cull plan' concocted on their behalf by Natural England. This is the operating protocol to which we referred in the previous posting as : the most...(read more)

Quotes of the year

Bovine TB — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:51:01 GMT

As 2011 draws to a close, several people have had their say about badgers, TB the proposed cull and much more. Below are a few snippets. From Jeremy Clarkson in the The Sun [ sorry, no online link ] a comment on the cost of Jim Paice's proposed cull...(read more)

After the Olympics...

Bovine TB — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:11:03 GMT

.. our Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is 'minded' to allow two pilot badger culls to go ahead, each lasting 6 weeks, in the autumn of 2012. The Defra statement can be viewed here (pdf) - note section 5 for the cull...(read more)

1, 2, 3, 4 ... Brocks.

Bovine TB — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:31:00 GMT

Still in the spirit of our Happy Brocklemas posting below we see from the Defra website that dear old FERA (Food Food and Environment Research Agency (UK)) have a received an early Christmas present in the form of a new project to keep them in the manner...(read more)

Happy Brocklemas

Bovine TB — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:31:05 GMT

Isn't he a cutey? And now we can reveal that you are able to buy bags of - Badger Food on which to feed him. Searching amongst the shelves of a local pet superstore on a Saturday morning is not for the faint hearted, but occasionally it turns up something...(read more)

More chaos

Bovine TB — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:15:03 GMT

.. but don't mention that computer. Last week, Farmers Weekly reported again on the slow down with data input to Defra's new computer system, and its consequences both to farmers, staff and taxpayers. Warmwell reports : Animal Health and Veterinary...(read more)

Progress? ...

Bovine TB — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:17:03 GMT

.. or a very un-holy alliance? Time will tell, but news last week of a joint initiative between the NFU and the Badger Trust was announced. NFU chief farm policy adviser John Royle and Badger Trust director Simon Boulter have agreed a joint project in...(read more)

Success v Failure

Bovine TB — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:04:00 GMT

New Zealand has produced a combined report of its progress in eradicating bTB. The documents report good progress in what they describe as 'an exceptional year': "It gives me great pleasure to report on what has been an exceptional year for...(read more)

Earthmovers

Bovine TB — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:45:03 GMT

The Daily Mail reports that tunnelling badgers have caused huge problems to the safety of school buildings in Somerset. A primary school is under threat of collapse after badgers tunnelled underneath it and shifted 7.5 tonnes of soil. The school, which...(read more)

More on SAM

Bovine TB — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 12:06:01 GMT

Following the Farmers Weekly report on Defra's new computer system 'SAM', which we posted here, another raft of problems appear to have surfaced. And the backlog of test charts awaiting input (and action), has reportedly increased to 1000...(read more)

Don't mention the ....

Bovine TB — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:58:05 GMT

... war computer. And in particular, Defra's new toy, SAM. This system was due on stream in July, but three months on is apparently causing havoc. Farmers Weekly reported this snippet last week. (sorry, no online link) Under the strapline 'Computer...(read more)

'white coat syndrome'

Bovine TB — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:53:03 GMT

.. is a well known cause of blood pressure when patients visit a doctor's surgery; the sight of pristine, dazzling white attire, guaranteed to cause a flutter in most of us. So imagine the reaction of cattle, more used to olive green - be that grass...(read more)

Update - Michigan and a $200 bounty

Bovine TB — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:46:04 GMT

In 2005 we posted on the newly emerged threat of bTB to Michigan's cattle herds. Politicians and veterinarians had a dilemma with the needs of hunters and livelihoods of cattle farmers with tuberculosis the bone between two dogs. Supplementary feeding...(read more)

RBCT Update

Bovine TB — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:42:00 GMT

Although the operatives of the Badger Dispersal Trial RBCT ended their 8 night forays - if they arrived at all - using cage traps in 2005/06, data collection continues. The first offerings from Prof. Donnelly's mathematical abacus we posted in 2008...(read more)

Cull management plan

Bovine TB — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:42:00 GMT

After a pep talk to the troops in Exeter this week, NFU leader Peter Kendall was in 'head teacher' mode - we're told. "It's the only game in town" "Get on with it" "Only chance in a generation" You get the...(read more)

Update on PCR technology

Bovine TB — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:29:05 GMT

We have explored PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technology in many previous postings. But it appears that some readers and the wider industry are falling behind in just how far these diagnostics have advanced in a few short years. In 2003, the most usual...(read more)

The Big Bad Wolf ?

Bovine TB — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:34:01 GMT

Looking through Natural England's prematurely released consultation document, ( post below )- apart from getting the message that this is something they would rather not touch with the proverbial bargepole, we were struck by a paragraph on licensing...(read more)

Would you put a fox

Bovine TB — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:58:03 GMT

... in charge of a henhouse? A rhetorical question, but it appears that this is what Defra have done with allocating the quango known as 'Natural England' control of the two pilot badger culls, which our Secretary of State is 'strongly minded'...(read more)

PCR Update

Bovine TB — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:32:01 GMT

More details for the reasons behind the Industry funded PCR project, described in the posting below can be heard for the next 7 days on Radio 4. Camelid vet Dr. Gina Bromage MA,Vet MB,DVM,MRVCS and Dianne Summers an alpaca owner, who produce the website...(read more)

Good news on PCR

Bovine TB — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:45:02 GMT

We are delighted to read on the alpaca TB support group website that they have secured a contract with AHVLA, to conduct a study into the use of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technology to support TB diagnosis in camelids. The news release explains...(read more)

Tripping up

Bovine TB — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:21:04 GMT

'For Immediate Release, screamed a press release from the Badger Trust, demanding an immediate investigation into parts of a BBC Report programme. But also in the document, as it splutters in indignation over the content of the Report's assertions...(read more)