Originally from: frances fish
                        
Ross Finnie says that the means for detecting TB are working. Well, how come it was only detected at the abbatoir then ? Surely that means this got through the net ? What "typical lesions" are they (vets ?) talking about ? TB is slow to develop, it is not that infectious, to say there are lesions must mean it has been around a considerable time. Not all 63 cattle will have the disease, most will be what are termed reactors and have merely been in contact with TB or even have another disease, Johne's perhaps ? To have such a high percentage of reactors within a herd is extremely suspicious as it will be only the breeding stock(cows over about 12 months and bulls) that were tested. So, discounting calves, young stock and steers, the percentage of carriers must be very high indeed. No wonder they are worried.If, as is proposed, the whole herd is to be destoyed, how will that encourage reluctant farmers to have their cattle tested ? If there is a chance that, if reactors are discovered in a herd,ALL will be slaughtered, might that not make farmers LESS inclined to let them on their farms ? Add this to the information that it is not unknown for blood tests to be "faked " , then one has to say that to kill out the entire herd is not a very smart move at all ,Mr Finnie, contrary to your opinion. If, of course, the aim was to eliminate a disease other than TB, then that would put a different slant on it. If the design is to frighten farmers into having their cattle TB tested, then it must surely backfire. Whoever(and we might have a pretty good idea, who,) suggested this overkill, is misguided at best, at worst, it smacks of the arrogance of 2001. Frances