NFU Scotland’s (NFUS) vice-president Alasdair Macnab says protecting Scotland’s Officially TB Free (OTF) Status must be a priority for all cattle keepers.
Mr Macnab, who is a vet and farmer near Dingwall, recently teamed up with NFU Wales and APHA to host a national webinar after some TB breakdowns were reported in southwest Scotland.
He said that this triggered concerns that bovine TB was present in wildlife in Scotland.
“On our recent webinar, Abbi Reader from NFU Wales described life under TB1 rules of annual testing, recurrent restrictions on movements, the worry of a test result, the consequences of confirmed TB in your herd and the financial restraints resulting from the inability to trade cattle and rear them at home,” he said.
“These are things which farmers and crofters in Scotland have told NFUS don’t want. How do we ensure it doesn’t happen?”
Scotland’s OTF status needs cautionary approach
Mr Macnab said that Scotland’s OTF status can be maintained and needs a cautionary approach, advising farmers to plan their cattle buying policy.
“Buying stock from TB1 areas will always have a risk of carrying TB,” he said.
“The perfect scenario is you don’t buy stock that has spent any part of its life in TB1 areas. Life isn’t perfect and Scottish Government has recognised that by changing the Tuberculosis Order to reduce the time limit for pre-movement testing for moves to Scotland from 60 days to 30 days to reduce the time animals may be exposed to TB at the premises of origin. A post-movement test is still required.
“Secondly, if a business does buy cattle from a TB1 area, it is in the interest of that business and all Scottish businesses that these cattle are kept isolated from other cattle until a clear post-movement test is completed.
“Thirdly, there is also a risk of TB (and other diseases) spreading between neighbouring cattle herds by nose-to-nose contact. A physical separation should be considered such as agreeing with a neighbour when fields will be used or putting in place a 3-metre separation using fencing, woodland or a hedge.”
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