An Aberdeenshire couple have been left outraged after their herd of prize-winning American bison had to be destroyed.
The herd of 43 animals – the only one in Scotland – reacted to a routine TB test and were shot on Tuesday on the orders of the Scottish Government’s veterinary division.
Farmer Scott Shand and his wife Shelagh Bonner-Shand, founders of Caledonian Bison Ltd, are questioning why their whole heard had to be destroyed.
Mrs Bonner-Shand said: “We have queried the application of the antibody test and indeed the validation of all three tests applied to our herd. Of particular interest is whether these tests have been validated in bison.”
The couple had attempted to set up a meeting with the vets who made the decision to wipe out their whole herd before Tuesday’s events.
They had kept the animals on an estate near Aboyne.
Mrs Bonner-Shand added: “We have always accepted that bovine TB is a disease which should be eradicated from livestock, but the system of testing and eradication must be consistent and in accordance with published policy and guidelines.
“We do not feel this was the case here. Would a normal cattle herd have been slaughtered in the same circumstances?”
Cull shocks owners, Farming, Page 3