TB movement restrictions to tighten
Farming Minister Jim Paice MP has announced that TB movement restrictions will be tightened over the next few months. Speaking at a TB Breakout Session, Mr Paice (pictured) announced that current exemptions for cattle that were tested during the previous thirty days and for cattle that shared accommodations with other cattle at shows would be abolished.
Conceding that the changes were the consequence of pressure to improve UK TB controls from the European Commission, Mr Paice told those present that “I am not going to pretend those changes won’t be against the wishes of cattle keepers. They will make life a little bit harder in some areas, but we need to communicate them effectively.”
Mr Paice also warned that the budget for TB controls was under acute strain and that the results of this pressure could be more costs being passed onto farmers. “We need to tackle the problem of how we deal with the disease most effectively and also how we deal with that increased funding gap,” he said.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
