Consultation on proposals to simplify surveillance testing in the High Risk Area of England and other disease control measures

Overview

Bovine TB is the most pressing and costly animal health problem in the UK.  The disease threatens our cattle industry and presents a risk to other livestock, as well as wildlife species, pets and humans.The Government remains determined to eradicate bovine TB.

 This is the latest in a series of consultation exercises aimed at introducing effective and proportionate TB control measures in cattle that will, when combined with measures to address the TB risk posed by badgers, increase the probability of achieving national official TB freedom by the target date of 2038.

The proposals in the consultation document fall in to three broad categories:

• Simplifying surveillance testing in the High Risk Area of England. These proposals have been developed following a Call for Views in 2016. The response to the call for views can be found at found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/bovine-tb-improving-testing-in-the-high-risk-area-of-england
• Increased use of private vets to support the delivery of TB controls
• Changes to the TB compensation system to more effectively encourage risk-reducing behaviours at the farm level.

Why your views matter

The Government remains determined to eradicate bovine TB, including through a comprehensive programme of interventions, as set out in the Strategy for achieving Officially Bovine Tuberculosis Free (OTF) status for England, which was published in April 2014 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-strategy-for-achieving-officially-bovine-tuberculosis-free-status-for-england

In proposing changes to TB controls in cattle herds  our aim is to strike a balance between robust disease control - aimed ultimately at achieving OTF status for England - and supporting a sustainable livestock industry. However, in order to achieve OTF status it is vital that Government works closely with stakeholders to ensure that policy enhancements can be delivered and that any adverse impacts are minimised.