Bovine TB: 12th TB Advisory Group meeting - Wednesday 23 April 2008
Summary of discussion
1. The meeting began with the Chairman updating the Group on discussions he had had on bovine TB. He explained that the Royal Agricultural Society for England (RASE) had been in contact with him and had offered its help to the Group to facilitate opportunities for discussion on bovine TB in the future.
2. The Chairman also informed the Group that he would be speaking about controlling bovine TB at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Dairy Farmers, chaired by Daniel Kawczynski Conservative MP, on 6 May 2008.
3. The Group then discussed the final versions of Defra’s badger and cattle vaccine policy option papers with Defra. The Group had previously commented on the papers in draft and discussed its comments with Defra in September 2007. Defra’s first vaccine stakeholder meeting to discuss these papers had gone well and there was consensus around the key issues, including the need to discuss options with the Commission now so that when vaccines were nearer to being available, initial discussions about some of the issues had already taken place with them. The Group agreed the papers presented the issues well and it has therefore endorsed them. However, the Group felt that all options for vaccination of badgers and cattle should continue to be pursued. The Group offered to promote this message with Ministers, Defra welcomed the Group’s support. The Chairman also suggested that the vaccines papers should be sent to the Chairman of the Science Advisory Body, Professor Quintin McKellar, to ensure he is aware of the issues and the wider views to continue with all research options for vaccines.
4. The Group then discussed pre-movement testing. There was concern that no progress had been made on a number of the Group’s recommendations to improve the delivery and implementation of pre-movement testing, which were published in January 2007. The Group also had concerns that the evidence of a pre-movement test was not currently kept with an animal which had led to confusion about whether the animal had been pre-movement tested or not. Similarly, as routine surveillance tests can be used as a pre-movement test it was difficult to assess numbers of pre-movement tests taking place. Defra’s planned review of TB statistics aims to address these sorts of issues. One member commented that his vet used an IT system which was able to distinguish between types of tests and age and sex of the animal. He agreed to share information about this system with Defra in case it was useful for their review of TB statistics.
5. The Group was also concerned that the policy allowing pre-movement testing to be exempt within Single Occupancy Authorities (SOAs) had still not been reviewed since their recommendation in January 2007. The Group acknowledged that SOAs had been established during FMD in 2001 and were generic to a number of disease controls. Defra explained that pre-movement testing could not be considered in isolation as legislation would need to be amended to reflect changes. A review of the SOA exemption was postponed alongside the pre-movement testing review at the beginning of 2008. In the mean time, the Review of the Livestock Movement Controls (Madders Review) July 2006 recommends that all existing SOAs and linked holdings for cattle be replaced by Livestock Movement Units (LMUs) which consist of land parcels and buildings which are farmed as a single unit and are linked epidemiologically. Good progress has been made and Defra is discussing options for LMUs with farming businesses. Defra welcomed any views the Chairman could offer from a veterinary perspective.
6. Defra explained that the requirement to pre-movement test between grass keep and linked holdings was promoted at the Livestock Market Roadshows last spring and earlier this year. Animal Health have also been emphasising the importance of pre-movement testing through their correspondence with farmers. Defra explained that it would revisit the Group’s recommendations as part of a review of pre-movement testing which will be carried out following the period of peak cattle movements in Autumn 2008. By then, a full year of normal trading data should be available to assess. Given the disruption to business practices and cattle movements as a result of various disease outbreaks in Autumn 2007, it would have been impossible to carry out a meaningful review of the policy in March 2008 as originally planned.
7. The Group briefly discussed the gamma interferon blood test. Defra confirmed that they had successfully defended a legal challenge through judicial review. Defra acknowledged that there were concerns in some stakeholder groups about the use of the blood test. Defra will need to work with local vets and Animal Health to improve understanding of the benefits of the test, for example, disease was detected much earlier than the TB skin test. The Group offered to help with this work.
8. The Group welcomed the announcement by the Welsh Assembly Government on their plan to tackle bTB in Wales. The Group continued to liaise with Wales to ensure a joined up approach and recommended that Defra continued to discuss options with their counterparts in Wales to avoid cross-border differences in control measures.
9. Lastly, the Group welcomed the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report and recommendations on bTB. The Group supported a number of the report’s recommendations, particularly regarding the need to explore cost and benefit options of wider measures now and to continue funding of vaccines research. The Group hoped that the report would help inform Ministers decisions. The Group looks forward to receiving the Government’s response to EFRAC in the near future.
Those present:
Peter Jinman (Chairman)
Brian Jennings
Bill Madders
James Kirkwood
Andrew Cunningham
Lyn Haywood, Livestock & Livestock Products, Defra
Gabrielle Edwards, TB Programme, Defra
Amanda Roper, TB Programme, Defra
James Cooper, TB Programme, Defra
Lisa Lewis, TB Programme, Defra
Teresa Filley, Secretary, TB Advisory Group
Debbie Hide, TB Advisory Group Secretariat
30 May 2008
Page last modified: 4 June 2008