TB Testing & TBAS
farm
As our farmers are aware regular TB testing is essential to enable TB infected herds to be identified as soon as possible, six monthly or annually.
Our vets are subject to regular checks by the APHA to ensure compliance with the regulations which will involve unannounced on-farm inspections. Our vets follow the required APHA protocols to ensure we comply.
Procedure for Day 1 The vet must:
- Clip
- Ensure the official ear tag is read and recorded
- Measure skin thickness and record this against the correct ear tag number
- Inject tuberculin
Procedure for Day 2 The vet must:
- Ensure the official ear tag is read and recorded again
- Measure skin thickness and record this against the correct ear tag number
Farm Requirements
Suitable and safe handling facilities for the cattle to be tested will ensure a smooth testing procedure, saving time and ensuring the safety for farm personnel and our vets. Additional help is always beneficial especially for larger tests.
Please remember in situations where we cannot carry out the test correctly or safely, our vets are instructed to abandon the test which will mean that the test will need to be rescheduled and restrictions may be put in place.
TB Hub
The TB hub is the ‘go-to’ place for British beef and dairy farmers to find practical advice on dealing with bovine TB on their farm, covering everything from biosecurity measures to understanding trading rules. tbhub.co.uk
TB Map
An online interactive mapping tool displaying ongoing and resolved TB breakdowns in England and Wales over the past 10 years. Use it to find out about the bovine TB situation in your local area, and when purchasing cattle. ibtb.co.uk
TB Advisory Service
Our vet Richard is able to provide free, bespoke advice to keepers of cattle and farmed non-bovine animals in England on practical, cost-effective measures to build herd/flock resilience to bovine tuberculosis. These visits are fully funded by Defra and aim to provide owners of TB susceptible livestock (cattle, camelids, goats, deer, pigs and sheep) with advice on reducing the risk of TB in their animals.
The advice is delivered in a pair of visits separated by 3-6 months. During the first visit, we would meet and gain information on your livestock enterprise (aided by a questionnaire) and provide 4 suggestions on how you may reduce the risk of your animals contracting bovine TB. Whilst hopefully we will be able to offer some straight-forward, practical advice that you will find beneficial, there is no official regulation or monitoring over and above the suggestions.
We can also discuss practicalities and implications of TB testing in goats and alpacas which we are required to do from time to time.
There will be opportunities to discuss other aspects of health planning as a tangent to TB included within the visit. Hopefully this will make the visit valuable to you without incurring any costs to you.
To book a visit please call the practice on 01548 853322 or email farm@selworthyvets.co.uk
There is further information available at tbas.org.uk/