§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on variations in the susceptibility of cattle to TB infection. [118508]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 10 April 2000]: There is no such research in place at present, but this is one of the issues being considered by the TB Husbandry Panel, which is due to report shortly.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the(a) terms of reference and (b) financial resources available to the TB Husbandry Panel. [118514]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 10 April 2000]: The aim of the Husbandry Panel is to identify current or future farm management (husbandry) measures which will assist in developing a sustainable policy to control TB in cattle, and its terms of reference are:
The Panel will assess the scientific evidence on the effects of cattle husbandry in relation to Bovine TB, and in particular:
- a. review the available literature;
- b. take oral and/or written evidence from interested parties, especially those with expertise in cattle farming and TB risk factors, to identify the current expert opinion on best practice.
Taking account of the epidemiological investigations launched by MAFF following consultation with the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB, the Panel will, within three months of appointment, produce a report which summarises the state of knowledge on the effects of husbandry on controlling bovine TB, and which:
- a. identifies approaches being taken by research and development funders which will fill gaps in knowledge and their relative timescales;
- b. makes recommendations on the steps and responsibility which need to be taken to encourage careful management practices relating to tuberculosis in cattle;
- c. makes recommendations on how best to evaluate husbandry measures for future use, including advice on whether husbandry experiments are justifiable at this stage, and if so, which experiments might be most promising at this stage.
The budget for the Husbandry Panel is £45,083 which is to cover the costs of the secretariat, the Panel's expenses and other associated costs.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to receive the report of the TB Husbandry Panel and if, following receipt, he will publish it in full. [118507]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 10 April 2000]: The Panel is expected to report at the end of April. The report will be published in full.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the current research projects associated with Bovine TB, indicating for each the cost in 2000–01 and the total cost for the project. [118515]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 10 April 2000]: The current bovine TB research projects, together with total cost and costs for 2000–01 are shown in the table.
217W
£ Research project Cost 2000–01 Total cost A spatial analysis using GIS risk factors associated with TB incidents in cattle herds in England and Wales 43,354 188,373 Ecological correlates of tuberculosis incidence in cattle 123,779 374,181 Multivariate analysis of risk factors affecting tuberculosis incidents in cattle herds—phase 1 34,370 137,479 Improved diagnostics for cattle 170,449 511,347 Quantification of the risk of transmission of bovine TB from badgers to cattle within localised areas 55,196 167,504 Integrated modelling of M. bovis transmission in badgers and cattle 265,043 890,769 Detection and enumeration of M. bovis from clinical and environmental samples 88,178 297,046 The risk to cattle from M. bovis infection in wildlife species other than badgers 272,348 960,052 The risk to cattle from wildlife species other than badgers in areas of high herd breakdown risk 149,128 591,035 Development and evaluation of strain typing methods for M. bovis 305,346 1,124,682 Understanding the route of TB transmission from badgers to cattle 133,471 266,941 Developing innovative methods to estimate badger population density 240,082 882,089 An integrated study of perturbation, population estimation, modelling and risk 299,323 1,252,592 Novel methods of estimating badger numbers in the wider countryside 63,604 230,424 Genome sequence analysis of M. bovis 51,828 875,101 Antigen presenting cells and T cell responses to Mycobacterium 400,000 1,200,000 Generation of vaccine candidates against M. bovis 313,201 1,566,005 Testing of vaccine candidates for bovine tuberculosis using a low dose aerosol challenge guinea pig model 196,753 1,068,045 Development of badger vaccines 101,865 304,250 Development of badger immunological reagents 139,826 419,560 Development of a turf model to assess the biological control of M. bovis using Mycobacteriphage 20,000 80,000 Testing TB vaccines in cattle 263,642 1,316,635 A molecular genetic analysis of badger social structure and bovine TB 162,451 766,069 The potential of ticks as vectors of Mycobacterium bovis 49,942 49,942 Ecological consequences of removing badgers from an ecosystem 254,240 1,216,016 In addition substantial new research into the pathogenesis of M. bovis in cattle will be carried out in 2000–01 and succeeding years/ Detailed protocols are being developed and precise costings are not yet available.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will request the TB Forum to consider requiring the TB status of individual animals to be included in the cattle movement recording system. [118424]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 10 April 2000]: The TB Forum has already discussed this issue which has significant practical implications. The Forum is considering whether the objective could be achieved by simpler means.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the risks of TB infection from slurry spreading practices. [118509]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 10 April 2000]: There is no such research in place at present, but this is one of the issues being considered by the TB Husbandry Panel, which is due to report shortly.