Dairy farmers ‘overwhelmed’ by support after bovine TB hell

A dairy farming family that lost a fifth of its herd to bovine TB has thanked the farming community and the wider public for their “overwhelming” support and generosity.

Fred Harvey and his son Jack, 17, run a dairy herd of 125 milking cows,100 youngstock and they also rear all their own calves. 

But earlier this month, 25 cows tested positive for bovine TB in a routine test on 8 January on the farm, near Bodmin, Cornwall.

See also: 5 ways to improve TB control in the UK

Three of the cows were either in-calf or had recently calved and had to be shot on the farm.

The remaining 22 were taken away for compulsory slaughter.

Jack and Fred Harvey © Fred and Debbie Harvey

“The shock of the TB test was absolutely horrendous,” Mr Harvey told Farmers Weekly. 

“We had never had an issue of any great magnitude before. The whole thing was just awful. Unfortunately, we will not be the first or last to experience this.”

Disbelief

The Harveys said they spent the weekend in disbelief after the test, but their immediate concern was how they would get through the next two months, faced with a shortfall of about £6,000 each month.

Defra will pay some compensation for the cows, but they say it will not cover the cost of replacing them – about £1,800 an animal – and the loss of income.

They will lose about 700-800 litres of milk production a day, which pays 28p/litre.

In 60 days, they will have to retest all the remaining animals, and after that they hope to be able to buy in some cows to increase their herd size again.

In the meantime, they still need to find the money to pay the bills, feed and look after the cows.

Online fundraiser

To avoid the threat of going under, Mr Harvey’s wife, Debbie, launched a GoFundMe online fundraiser. In just five days, more than £5,500 had been donated by the public.

“It’s unreal. Fred, Jack and I are just so overwhelmed by the support,” said Mrs Harvey.

“Never in a million years did we think we would get this. The amount of pressure this has taken off for us to try to get through another month is amazing.

“It’s not just farmers who have helped us, it’s non-farmers too. When you think how bad things are for everybody, with Covid and people losing their jobs. It’s incredible.”

The Harveys say all the money donated will be used to see them through the next 60 days, to help buy some cows once the 60 days are up and keep the family farm in business.

To donate, visit their GoFundMe page.