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Know How / Bovine TB

Bovine TB is a devastating disease affecting cattle across the UK. Get information on current TB restriction rules, risk areas, the badger cull and vaccination developments. See advice on steps to prevent TB, including badger proofing your farm and what to do if your herd fails a TB test.

Latest bovine TB news

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LIVESTOCK

Badgers and cows share TB strain, Defra study finds

A Defra study has confirmed that badgers share the same strain of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), the bacterium responsible for bovine TB, with local cattle populations. This reinforces findings from…

LIVESTOCK

New rapid bovine TB test to be developed

Welsh researchers have secured nearly £1.2m in funding to create a groundbreaking bovine tuberculosis (TB) detector that can provide results within an hour. In the UK, the high prevalence of…

LIVESTOCK

Natural England raises stakes on badger cull challenge

Natural England is seeking to increase the potential financial costs for Wild Justice and the Badger Trust as they mount a legal challenge against the government’s decision to issue supplementary…

LIVESTOCK

New Welsh bovine TB board 'must follow the science'

The Welsh Conservatives have cautiously welcomed the formation of an advisory group aimed at tackling bovine tuberculosis (TB) in Wales, but remain critical of Labour’s track record in following scientific…

BOVINE TB

Dairy farmer who suffered bovine TB hell exits industry

A Pembrokeshire farmer has made the difficult decision to sell his dairy unit and leave farming after suffering at the hands of bovine TB. Steve Evans, a fourth-generation farmer based…

BOVINE TB

Badger lobby accuses Labour of 'betrayal' on culling

Wildlife and nature campaigners have accused the Labour government of a “huge betrayal” over its plans to allow badger culling to continue in England as part of efforts to tackle…

BOVINE TB

Defra switch to vaccination in bid to to end badger culling

Defra has announced it will be working on a new strategy to end the badger cull as part of ongoing efforts to eradicate bovine TB in England. The strategy, announced…

BOVINE TB

Labour drops plans for 'targeted' culling of badgers

The government has decided not to proceed with the previous Conservative proposal for “targeted” badger culling, a policy intended to address bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle by reducing the badger…

Practical advice

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YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How genetics and data sharing can aid calf management

A high percentage of dairy and suckler farmers report that calves are born dead on arrival. In an exclusive Farmers Weekly survey, 21% of dairy farmers and 29% of suckler…

BOVINE TB

10 tips for safe cattle handling during TB testing

Cattle are often large, heavy, fast and strong. Combine that mix with TB testing – a situation that may be unfamiliar and stressful for the animal – and it can…

BOVINE TB

3 steps to implement a bovine TB contingency plan

Farmers should carry out a three-step contingency plan to ensure they are prepared for the stress and potential financial implications of a TB breakdown. This is according to Sarah Tomlinson…

BOVINE TB

A guide to setting up a bovine TB isolation unit

Farmers looking for workable, high-welfare solutions for rearing calves during a bovine TB breakdown should consider making the most of a TB isolation unit.  Many farmers are retaining higher numbers…

BOVINE TB

Rules, compensation and advice for bovine TB in pig herds

According to Defra statistics, there were 38 pig premises under TB restriction in 2018, with 122 pigs tested for the disease. Although this is low compared to TB in cattle,…

BOVINE TB

5 ways to improve TB control in the UK

Bovine TB has exploded in the UK, spreading rapidly, ravaging counties and wiping out whole herds in its path. Until now, much of the focus of disease control has been…

Case studies

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DAIRY

Bovine TB blow prompts dairy farmer to join Longhorn scheme

Price security and the ability to better weather a bovine TB outbreak were the main reasons dairy farmer Jonathan Scott signed up to a Longhorn scheme. In 2016, TB hit…

BOVINE TB

5 farmer tips for setting up a TB isolation unit

Setting his farm up as a TB isolation unit (IU) has proved a successful business model for Cheshire farmer Ben Paterson. Mr Paterson, who runs Blackthorn Farm, Mobberly, buys three-to-six-week-old…

BOVINE TB

Steps farmers are taking to reduce bovine TB risk

Simple, inexpensive steps can cut TB risks by limiting cow and badger transmission. Sometimes, another pair of eyes is required to identify risks you may not notice. We speak to…

BOVINE TB

Video: Farmers living on the frontline of bovine TB

For farmers living in a high-risk area, bovine TB has a huge financial and emotional impact. We visit two farms in south-west Wales which have endured long-term breakdowns. Stephen and…

LIVESTOCK

How a beef enterprise has adapted to overcome TB

Recurring bovine TB breakdowns challenged the profitability of the Sockett family’s suckler beef business, so they switched to rearing dairy bull calves in a housed system to reduce infection risk…

BOVINE TB

How a Devon farmer is using homeopathy to fight bovine TB

Like many farmers in mid Devon, Julian Ayre is under the constant threat of bovine TB. But he is taking a novel approach to tackling it: A homeopathic remedy. “We…

Insights

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BOVINE TB

Brian May - ‘Badgers are irrelevant in cattle TB spread’

Queen guitarist and animal rights campaigner Sir Brian May has staked his life on badgers playing no role in the bovine TB nightmare for farmers. He believes badgers do not…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

How local TB programmes are ‘giving farmers back control’

Local TB programmes working in collaboration with farmers, vets and Animal and Plant Healthy Agency (Apha) staff are having a positive effect in helping farmers take control of the disease.…

BOVINE TB

Is England headed for healthy cattle and TB-free future?

Bovine TB is a devastating disease affecting cattle, causing significant trauma for livestock farmers and rural communities. It is the most challenging animal health disease the UK faces, costing taxpayers…

BOVINE TB

Survey reveals full impact of bovine TB on Welsh farmers

Bovine TB is continuing to put an immense financial and mental health strain on farmers in Wales, with the cost of the disease to each farm business averaging more than…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Wales' retiring chief vet looks back on 17-year tenure

In the week that Christianne Glossop leaves the post of Wales’ chief vet, avian influenza is raging through poultry flocks and there are some 700 or so bovine TB breakdowns…

BOVINE TB

How the free bovine TB advisory service is helping farmers

The TB Advisory Service (TBAS), is a Defra-funded initiative which gives free, practical advice to help dairy and beef farmers control bovine TB on farms in England.  The TBAS programme…

BOVINE TB

Farmers and vets report positive results in new TB test trial

Farmers and vets trialling a new bovine TB test in cattle which is focusing on detecting infection missed in government testing say the early results are promising. A number of…

BOVINE TB

4 farmers’ badger-proofing inventions help cut TB risk

Inventive farmers are mitigating the risk of bovine TB spreading from badgers to their dairy and beef cattle by devising their own obstacles to wildlife incursions. Some of the winners…

LIVESTOCK

Badger cull 'exit strategy' raises TB disease control fears

The government has confirmed it will no longer issue licences for intensive badger culling from 2022, as part of efforts to tackle bovine TB in England. And the practice will…

FARM POLICY

Next phase in Defra bovine TB strategy explained

After months in the making, the government has launched its latest consultation (PDF) on the next stages of its strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England by 2038. The eight-week…

BOVINE TB

UK bovine TB rules, penalties and incentives

Defra has introduced more rigorous, evidenced-based bovine TB testing regimes for cattle this autumn, backed by tougher penalties and incentives to encourage farmers to improve biosecurity. While the number of…

BOVINE TB

Q&A: Wales' chief vet outlines latest bovine TB strategy

Wales’ chief vet Christianne Glossop explains the next steps in the Welsh government’s policy to eradicate bovine TB in herds. Hayley Parrott and Philip Case ask the questions. What are…

Online resources

AHDB TBhub risk map

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AHDB TBhub video guides on biosecurity

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Defra: Compensation value tables

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TB Advisory Service

Free advice for farmers in High Risk and Edge areas of England
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