§ Ms AthertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the incidence of bovine TB in cattle in Cornwall. [92826]
§ Mr. MorleyAt the end of November 2002, the most recent date for which we have raw data, some 493 or 13 per cent. of the cattle herds in Cornwall were under TB movement restrictions. Of those around 380 were placed under restrictions in 2002; disease has been confirmed in 218 of these herds. This number will certainly rise as culture results come through over the next few months. Statisticians have advised that the backlog of overdue TB tests will have to reduce further before conclusions can be drawn about the changes in TB incidence between 2000 and 2003. This likely to be in summer of 2003.