Geronimo the alpaca put down by Defra officials

An alpaca at the centre of a bovine TB dispute has been removed from its farm and put down by government officials.

Officers from Avon and Somerset Police swooped on owner Helen Macdonald’s property in Wickwar, Gloucestershire, shortly before 11am on Tuesday morning (31 August).

Uniformed officers wearing masks and government officials dressed in blue overalls and goggles entered the farm and removed the animal from its enclosure.

See also: Farmer in bovine TB fight with Defra to save alpaca

Police were met with some resistance from angry protesters who had been camping out at the farm. Supporters of the alpaca broadcast the incident live on social media, including Facebook and Twitter.

The alpaca was euthanised just days before a High Court destruction order was due to expire on 4 September.

In a statement, Defra said the animal was removed from the premises and euthanised by staff from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) “as a necessary measure to control the spread of bovine TB”.

Post mortem and tests

A post mortem examination will now be undertaken by veterinary pathologists from Apha. This will be followed by a bacteriological culture of selected tissue samples, which can take up to three months.

Defra chief vet Christine Middlemiss said: “This is a terribly sad situation and our sympathies remain with all those affected by this devastating disease.

“No one wants to have to cull infected animals if it can be avoided, but we need to follow the scientific evidence and cull animals that have tested positive for bTB to minimise spread of this insidious disease and ultimately eradicate the biggest threat to animal health in this country.

“Not only is this essential to protect the livelihoods of our farming industry and rural communities, but it is also necessary avoid more TB cases in humans.”

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Four-year campaign

Ms Macdonald, a farmer and veterinary nurse, has led a four-year campaign to keep the alpaca alive.

Geronimo was imported from New Zealand into the UK in 2017 and since arriving had twice tested positive for bovine TB and been kept in isolation ever since.

But Ms Macdonald insists the results are “false positives” because Geronimo had been “primed” with bovine tuberculin before being tested, which Defra says can improve the sensitivity of the blood test.

However, Defra secretary George Eustice said the alpaca was tested using the Enferplex blood test, which he described as “a highly specific and reliable test”, with more than 99% accuracy.

Police statement

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We can confirm officers are in attendance at a farm in the Wickwar area of south Gloucestershire this morning to support the Animal and Plant Health Agency, which is executing a court warrant.

“We will always support our partner agencies to carry out their lawful duties, and our role is to prevent a breach of the peace and to ensure public safety is protected.”

Bovine TB is one of the most significant animal health challenges, costing taxpayers more than £100m each year. In 2020, more than 27,000 cattle had to be slaughtered in England alone to curb its spread.