James Herrick: Losing our first cattle to TB was gut-wrenching
© Tim Scrivener We have fallen foul to bovine tuberculosis for the first time in our farm’s history.
We have always kept cattle and, being in a mainly arable area with no neighbouring livestock, we had started to feel a little bit safe from TB.
Clear test after clear test, with barely a lump for the vets to get the callipers round, had become the expected result of our annual test – until February.
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We lost two 10-month-old heifers and one of our in-calf cows, which sent us spiralling into the potentially never-ending uncertainty that is the 60-day testing regime.
I have always despised TB testing – purely for the inconvenience – but now I can relate to all those farmers who are stuck in the doldrums that this disease has created.
I expected losing animals to TB would be gut-wrenching (and it is), but the knock-on effects of restrictions have become another unwelcome burden.
For years, we have sold our youngstock as 12- to 13-month-old store cattle through the local market, but this was no longer an option.
We had made enough silage to see us through the winter, with a touch to spare, but not enough to finish all the youngstock now confined to the yard.
Fortunately, we have enough straw to alter their rations. We have a block of permanent pasture, about 5 miles away, that accommodates nearly half of our cows and calves for the summer months.
However, our first 60-day test delayed their departure, so we had no choice but to overstock our grassland at home – something I loathe doing.
A quick brainwave saw us turn cattle onto volunteer wheat in one of our arable fields (something I wouldn’t hesitate to do again). This meant we could stop our grassland becoming completely overrun.
Upon collecting our three stricken animals, the lorry driver spoke of a farm the previous day where he had removed 58 cows – the thought alone is heartbreaking.
We haven’t yet experienced TB as harshly as many farmers, but it has taught us some valuable lessons. And if nothing else, I should be thankful for those.