Scots investigate TB outbreak

Originally from: lina
                        
Scots investigate TB outbreak
Source: FWi 22 October 2003

By Shelley Wright, Scotland correspondent

ALMOST 300 cattle will be slaughtered next week on a
farm in Scotland because of an outbreak of bovine
tuberculosis.

The Scottish Executive has confirmed the entire herd
of 296 cattle at Townhead Farm, Dolphinton in South
Lanarkshire will be culled after tests revealed 63 TB
reactors.

According to an executive spokesman, the origin of the
outbreak is still being investigated.

"But early indications are that it may be associated
with animals bought in from high risk areas," he said.

Ross Finnie, rural development minister, said: "Whole
herd slaughter may be unusual but it is not unknown.

"The TB testing regime has proved to be effective in
detecting disease and decisive action taken by my
department is designed to prevent any further spread."

Although Scotland has a number of TB reactors on farms
each year, with almost 100 other positive cases this
year, the whole herd slaughter has been ordered in
this case because the disease is so widespread within
the herd.

The last time an entire herd was slaughtered was in
1996 when 115 cattle on the island of Arran were
culled.

A spokesman for NFU Scotland said the latest outbreak
should act as a reminder to all farmers of the need
for extreme vigilance when buying cattle.

Producers should ensure they have either been tested
for TB prior to arrival or are isolated and tested
immediately on arrival, he said.

The union has also suggested that compulsory
government testing of all cattle imported from England
and Wales into Scotland should be considered.

Originally from: coleen
                        
Ross Finnie, rural development minister, said: "Whole
herd slaughter may be unusual but it is not unknown.

He should know all about that.

Coleen

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