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The article focuses on bovine tuberculosis (TB) culling and includes comparison between Great Britain and Ireland in this regard. Topics discussed include impact of badger culling on TB incidence in Ireland, interview with Bert Stewart, Chairman of animal health project of Irish Farmers' Association, and effect of culling program in reducing and preventing the spread of TB disease.

The article summarizes the views and scientific fact on bovine tuberculosis (TB) in Great Britain. There are 30,172 cattle that were slaughtered in the region in 2005 due to the disease. Results of a study conducted by researchers from the Exeter University in England regarding the impact of bovine TB on farmers in the south west area are conveyed. It is claimed that spreading infected slurry via an irrigator can become a source of atomized Mycobacterium bovis. INSETS: CULLING METHODS;WHERE TO NOW?.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in previous issues. Response of the British government to the cattle tuberculosis crisis in the region; Need for the British Army to be involved in controlling bovine tuberculosis; Difficulty in finding British beef in a local supermarket in Bridgend, Wales.

Presents news related to agriculture in Great Britain as of September 2005. Call from Asda for a government investigation into the dominance of its rival Tesco; Frustration of veterinarians with the negative response of the government to their letter on bovine tuberculosis; Options available to farmers who want to submit an application before all their land is mapped.

Presents news briefs on the agricultural industry in Great Britain as of September 2, 2004. Decision of the British Cattle Movement Service to administer the national Fallen Stock Scheme; Issuance of a brochure detailing rules of the Single Payment Scheme for farmers; Cases of tuberculosis on cattle herds in Devon and Cornwall, England.

Presents news briefs concerning agriculture in Great Britain as of July 2004. Plans of Welsh Assembly members for the control of bovine tuberculosis; Impact of a series of storms on wheat crops at Keyworth House Farm; Role of the British Health and Safety Executive in an investigation into the death of several men in an effluent tank on agricultural land.

Presents news briefs on the farming industry in Great Britain as of January 2006. Penalty imposed by Cirencester magistrates on a farmer and his wife for admitting causing unnecessary suffering to cattle in England; Limitation on the use of genetically modified seeds in production by organic growers; Status of a plan to conduct a survey of bovine tuberculosis in found-dead badgers in Wales.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in previous issues of the periodical "Farmers Weekly." Way to promote British beef to consumers; Refusal of British veterinary and agricultural establishments to acknowledge the association between elevated iron and the cluster areas of bovine tuberculosis; Criticism on the statement made by Office of Fair Trading chairman Sir John Vickers that the code of practice of supermarkets does not need to be changed or improved.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in the issues of "Farmers Weekly" magazine prior to May 6, 2004. "Ewe Mineral Blocks Stop Efficient Absorption," which discussed supplementing minerals over stock rations; "Ways to Tidy Up Grants," which discussed simplification of criteria for farming grants; Issue on farmer's cooperation with tuberculosis cull farce in Great Britain.

Presents several letters concerning the farming industry in Great Britain. Reaction of D.J.B. Denny to a letter written by Martin Hancox regarding the spread of tuberculosis in cattle; Views of R.C. Dening on Common Agricultural Policy; Proposal of Nicholas Baker to fertilizer companies.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in previous issues of "Farmers Weekly." "Talking Point," which dealt with the dream of a rural policeman living on his own farm; "No Sense Paying For Waste Products," which focused on the benefits from waste; "The Western Morning News," which suggested that badgers are not to blame for the rise of tuberculosis in cattle.

Presents letters to the editor on issues related to agriculture in Great Britain discussed in previous issues of "Farmers Weekly" magazine. Comments on the stance of the National Farmers Union on the Common Agricultural Policy reform; Spread of the tuberculosis disease on cattle; Praises received by the magazine for its change in appearance.

Judges are set to probe the influence Boris Johnson's girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, had on the government's decision to reject the Derbyshire badger cull. Last year, Defra secretary Theresa Villiers ordered culling licensee Natural England to reject a farmer-led application to cull badgers in the county as part of plans to tackle bovine TB. An NFU spokesperson said the union had made absolutely no accusations against Ms Symonds and their main issue was that Ms Villiers ignored expert advice when she decided to reject the Derbyshire cull. [Extracted from the article]

According to Defra statistics, there were 38 pig premises under TB restriction in 2018, with 122 pigs tested for the disease. There is no routine TB test for live pigs - they are usually only tested after an infection has been confirmed, although testing can be requested by the owner. If a pig herd has a high prevalence of TB, the owner may decide to depopulate the herd - this is usually achieved by culling breeding stock and finishing the rearing pigs on another unit. [Extracted from the article]

A Welsh dairy farm stricken by bovine TB is trialling a new blood test, which is hoped will help to rid the farm of the devastating disease in future. Dairy farmer Chris Mossman said he agreed to trial Actiphage after hearing about the test's use as part of a successful private TB eradication plan at Devon dairy farm Gatcombe. The developers, PBD Biotech, believe that Actiphage can revolutionise control of bovine TB by detecting the disease within six hours from a blood or milk sample, allowing affected cattle to be identified quickly before the infection spreads. [Extracted from the article]

Cows are almost twice as likely to be infected by other cattle than by badgers in the transmission of tuberculosis, a study has found. Prof Christl Donnelly, from University of Oxford and Imperial College London, who led the Downs et al study, said the latest paper provides an interesting and important new perspective on the challenging problem of bovine TB in cattle and badgers. [Extracted from the article]

The NFU has launched a judicial review challenging the government's decision not to grant badger culling licences to control bovine TB in Derbyshire. The NFU submitted its application to the High Court for a judicial review of the Derbyshire badger cull refusal on 6 December. [Extracted from the article]

Seen as a well-informed strategy by some, a misguided experiment by others; more than two years after the Welsh government rolled out its new policy for eradicating TB, it continues to divide opinion. The TB skin test at standard interpretation remains a good herd surveillance test, he believes, but it may not be detecting 20% or more of the infected animals in herds. Prof Glyn Hewinson, a world-renowned bovine TB expert who is leading a new Centre of Excellence for Bovine TB at Aberystwyth University, said the test is capable of identifying around 90% of all animals that have lesions. [Extracted from the article]

Scientists have developed a modified version of the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccine and a complementary skin test which they believe could protect cattle against TB. The next stage of the work will be to demonstrate that both the synthetic skin test and the BCG-minus vaccine work in cattle herds, which will require funding. [Extracted from the article]

Creating the right policy environment after next month's general election will be crucial if British agriculture is to meet its full potential and deliver for the environment, the consumer and the economy. The NFU manifesto follows a flurry of other policy demands from rural organisations, including the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the Tenant Farmers' Association (TFA) and the Soil Association. [Extracted from the article]

A Welsh dairy farmer whose milking herd has almost halved because of bovine TB says a disease eradication policy for herds considered high risk is leading to the unnecessary slaughter of thousands of cattle. Chris Mossman has launched a petition calling on the Welsh government to pause its Enhanced Measures programme, introduced in October 2017 to control the spread of TB in herds with chronic breakdowns. [Extracted from the article]

A group of vets from Derbyshire has written a letter to the farming press to show support for their clients dealing with the devastating disease of bovine TB. Derbyshire-based vet Sarah Tomlinson, of Westpoint Farm Vets, who signed the letter, told Farmers Weekly: "We are urging the government to review its decision not to roll out the culls to Derbyshire. [Extracted from the article]

A huge reservoir of undetected bovine TB infection could be residing in herds in the High Risk Area (HRA) in England as a result of shortcomings in the current testing regime. Since April 2017, however, Defra has been increasing the use of the gamma blood test alongside the skin test in the HRA to maximise detection of TB-infected animals in cattle herds affected by TB breakdowns. [Extracted from the article]

A new approach to disease control on a dairy farm in Devon - taking out infective cows and minimising exposure to slurry - has seen the herd attain TB-free status after six years of persistent breakdowns. "As part of our investigations, we found some cows which were shedding large quantities of organisms in their faeces, despite testing negative in the statutory testing programme", Mr Sibley said. The programme introduced by Mr Sibley and his team appears to have been successful, as the herd of more than 300 cows was declared TB-free in March this year. [Extracted from the article]

Queen guitarist and animal rights campaigner Brian May has shared with Farmers Weekly in some detail how, working with vet Dick Sibley, he has helped a Devon dairy farm regain its TB-free status. More recently, the independent Downs review has shown that, after four years of culling, the TB incidence rate in the Gloucestershire and Somerset cull zones has dropped by 66% and 37% respectively. [Extracted from the article]

Farm leaders urge TB rethink after badger cull "success" Farm leaders have called for an urgent rethink of the bovine TB strategy in Wales and Northern Ireland after peer-reviewed evidence that badger culling in England is helping to tackle the disease. "The latest scientific evidence has shown that culling badgers has been hugely successful in reducing TB outbreaks among cattle in England, and a similar strategy also worked for the Republic of Ireland". [Extracted from the article]

Vaccinating badgers to help control the spread of bovine TB is "futile" and not needed as part of any TB control strategy, according to Queen guitarist and animal rights campaigner Brian May. "This is a risky thing to say, but we don't think badger vaccination is relevant to the control of TB in cattle", he told Farmers Weekly. But Gloucestershire-based cattle vet Roger Blowey has also questioned the validity of badger vaccination in relation to reducing the incidence of TB in cattle. [Extracted from the article]

Focus on badgers "won't solve bovine TB" Cattle are continuing to spread bovine tuberculosis (TB) despite a reduction in the disease where badgers have been culled, says a leading zoologist. Although badger culling had resulted in a reduction of TB, he said the question remained whether badger culling was the most effective way of eventually eradicating the disease. [Extracted from the article]

New peer-reviewed, scientific evidence has highlighted the effectiveness of badger culling in reducing outbreaks of bovine TB in cattle. The scientific analysis of data by Downs et al assessed the effects from four years of industry-led badger culling in England on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle between 2013 and 2017. [Extracted from the article]

Independent vets and scientists are seeking valid and robust analysis from Defra over completely contrasting results in bovine TB figures for the Gloucestershire and Somerset badger cull zones. After six years of badger culling, while the Somerset cull zone has shown a marked decline in TB incidence rate, the situation in Gloucestershire is virtually unchanged - and prevalence has actually increased. The FoI data demonstrates that by the end of 2018, in the Gloucestershire zone, the levels of bovine TB in the cattle population were higher than when culling started in 2013 - and virtually the same across the rest of the county where culling had not taken place. [Extracted from the article]

The NFU is considering legal action over the government's last-minute decision to cancel a planned badger cull to combat bovine tuberculosis in Derbyshire. Meanwhile, the NFU has dismissed a report by conservation charity the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Imperial College London, which claimed badger culling potentially increases the risk of disease transmission to cattle. [Extracted from the article]

Staffordshire farmers who moved cattle from a holding under bovine TB restrictions and then sold them as their own have been prosecuted. All four pleaded guilty to the offences in connection with the movement of TB-restricted cattle and fraudulently retagging animals, with Mr Pickford fined £500, Mr James £416 and Ms Woodward £192. [Extracted from the article]

Swansea City Football Club is helping to fund a badger vaccination programme in a part of south-west Wales where bovine TB is rife. The badger vaccinations form the initial phase of the project, which also includes enhanced cattle surveillance, tighter biosecurity and on-farm risk management measures. [Extracted from the article]

A new test that helps improve the detection rate of bovine TB in cattle has been validated by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and is now available for farmers to use subject to permission from APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency). The test has been approved by OIE to detect animals missed by the skin and gamma-interferon tests and to detect animals most likely to have lesions. But at present Apha has restricted use of the test to herds under TB restriction where the gamma-interferon test has already been used. [Extracted from the article]

The Welsh government is reviewing how inconclusive reactors are tested for bovine TB following concerns raised by a Carmarthenshire vet. But Cath Tudor of Prostock Vets voiced concerns the skin test isn't good enough at accurately detecting disease in inconclusive reactors. [Extracted from the article]

Fewer new outbreaks of bovine TB have been recorded in Gloucestershire and Somerset after five years of badger culling, government data shows. In the first Dorset cull zone, where culling was introduced in 2015, TB incidence has fallen from 17.2% two years prior to culling, to 11.6% last year, following the third year of culling. [Extracted from the article]

The expert opinions of farmers and their vets are being sought on proposals to help eradicate bovine TB in a new RSPCA consultation. The animal welfare charity is urging farmers and vets to have their say on its new management measures aimed at eradicating the disease. [Extracted from the article]

The farming industry has hit back at claims that badger culling is not working to tackle bovine TB. In the original Somerset cull zone, OTFw incidence has fallen from 25% in 2012 - a year before culling started - to 12.1% after year five of the culls (2018). Defra and the NFU remain confident that badger culling, as part of a comprehensive TB eradication programme for England, is helping to deliver an overall reduction in cattle TB. [Extracted from the article]

Reading University researchers have used a plant-based feed additive to achieve major reductions in antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria found in waste milk fed to calves. Analysis of faecal samples from calves fed waste milk without essential oregano oil revealed 44% of E coli was resistant to the cephalosporin. Feeding waste milk to calves is an area identified as a serious risk factor in the transfer of AMR by the European Food Safety Authority, Dr Houghton says. [Extracted from the article]

Natural England has published details of licences for 11 new badger cull zones, as part of its efforts to eradicate bovine TB. A Defra document shows marksmen have been tasked with removing a maximum of 62,899 badgers across all 43 zones. [Extracted from the article]

It speaks volumes when the very first slide shown at a Welsh government presentation to farmers about the current bovine TB situation is an advert for a farming mental health charity. I am sick and tired of government officials lecturing overworked and under-resourced livestock farmers about farming practices being responsible for the continued increase in bovine TB. While a pledge of £47,000 this summer to support the excellent DPJ Foundation is to be hugely applauded, I would guess that a large number of mental health problems in the farming community here come at least in part from the pressure of coping with bovine TB. [Extracted from the article]

John Sadler, 53, of Cannock Road, Great Wyrley, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Monday (19 August) after pleading guilty to failing to dispose of animal carcasses and failing to register cattle on his holding. When Staffordshire County Council's animal health officers visited Mr Sadler's farm in January 2018, they found the carcasses of four sheep and multiple bones from other dead farm animals that had not been disposed of correctly. Mr Sadler could not produce either the cattle passports or the herd register and subsequent enquiries revealed he had attempted to register some of the cattle, but had given them a false date of birth. [Extracted from the article]

The badger cull could be extended to 10 new areas this autumn, including Derbyshire, as part of government efforts to tackle bovine TB. Natural England has received 14 applications from prospective farmer-led culling companies to cull badgers in "high risk" and "edge area" counties of England. [Extracted from the article]

Pro-Brexit MP Theresa Villiers has been named as the new Defra secretary, replacing Michael Gove, who moves to the Cabinet Office. Writing on her Facebook page, Ms Villiers said she was "very honoured" to have been asked by Mr Johnson to take on the role of Defra secretary. [Extracted from the article]

A Welsh dairy farmer has been fined for chaotic record-keeping that breached bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and cattle identification regulations. Mr Thomas was fined £2,000 and a combined £2,200 for breaching bTB and cattle ID rules, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

Appointed as the new Defra boss by incoming prime minister Boris Johnson, Theresa Villiers takes the job at a critical time in our industry's history. Her previous roles have included minister of state for transport and secretary of state for Northern Ireland, She resigned from the latter post in 2016 after declining a new job offered to her in a Theresa May reshuffle. [Extracted from the article]

Failing to conform to bovine tuberculosis testing intervals has topped a livestock-heavy list of the most common cross-compliance breaches. Breach type: Sheep/goat animal identification records not maintained to legal standard. [Extracted from the article]

Welsh exports of red meat and dairy products are at risk after Brexit because bovine TB in Wales' national cattle herd is at a level unacceptable to future trading partners, warn farm leaders. NFU Cymru president John Davies said the latest figures for cattle culls could not be manipulated to suggest that Welsh government TB eradication policies were effective. [Extracted from the article]