Farmer fined for failing to test cattle for TB

A North Yorkshire livestock farmer has been fined £660 for failing to have his cattle tested for bovine TB.

Paul Parvin, from Sessay, near Thirsk, was found guilty at Northallerton Magistrates’ Court on Monday (23 October) of breaching disease control regulations by failing to test his cattle for the disease.

North Yorkshire County Council prosecuted Mr Parvin following an investigation by officers from its Trading Standards team.

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It followed a referral from the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) which found the farmer had not complied with a requirement to conduct a routine herd test on his cattle for bovine TB.

Mr Parvin did not attend the court and sentencing took place in his absence.

Low-risk area

North Yorkshire is considered a low-incidence area for bovine TB. The default TB testing interval of herds in the low-risk area is four years.

Leonardo Benito-de-Valle, APHA veterinary adviser for field delivery, said: “By his actions, Mr Parvin has seriously undermined those central policies which are aimed at protecting the cattle population and the farming industry in areas such as North Yorkshire that is currently a low-incidence area for bovine TB.”

The council said bovine TB has cost the taxpayer an estimated £500m over the past decade.

Andrew Lee, the council’s executive member for Trading Standards, said Mr Parvin’s conviction demonstrates the importance the county council gives to its role in protecting both public health and the livestock industry from the potential spread of TB.

“We will continue to work with the APHA to safeguard the farming industry in North Yorkshire,” he added.