HL Deb 27 November 2002 vol 641 cc49-50WA
Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will use the European Union approved blood test for the testing of badgers in the Krebs trial. [HL220]

Lord Whitty

There is no European Union (EU) approved blood test for ascertaining whether badgers have bovine TB. The presence of bovine TB in badgers culled in the Krebs trial is determined by post mortem examination and the bacteriological culture of tissue samples.

In July 2002 the EU officially recognised the gamma-interferon blood test for diagnosing bovine TB in cattle, but only for use as a supplement to the standard TB skin test. A pilot project to assess the effectiveness of the gamma interferon blood test and extra severe interpretation of the existing skin test in

Resources Capital
Change New DEL Of which: voted Non voted Change New DEL Of which: voted Non voted
620,767 7,513,746 6,227,264 1,286,482 107,356 238,428 232,124 6,304

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

  1. (i) The transfer of the Health and Safety Executive and the Health and Safety Laboratory from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (£2 l 1,499,000 of which £199,872,000 are administration costs), as announced by the Prime Minister on 29 May.
  2. (ii) Take-up of end-year flexibility entitlements (£436,351,000 of which £387,587,000 are administration costs), £197,000,000 of the administration cost entitlement was announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Table 6

detecting bovine TB commenced in early November in Wales and parts of England (Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire). The pilot will run for two years.