§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the ISG's preliminary analysis of the risk factors associated with cattle TB. [71029]
932W
§ Mr. MorleyThe ISG's preliminary analysis of data from the 'TB99' epidemiological survey is included in its third report which is available on DEFRA's website at: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/point5/p5prog
We have accepted the main conclusion that a full analysis of data is not possible at present. The preliminary comparative analyses that have been undertaken do, however, indicate the value of the TB99 questionnaire and the soundness of its design based on ISG advice. The completion of TB99 questionnaires has been delayed by the foot and mouth disease outbreak and the subsequent deployment of veterinary resources to address the backlog of cattle TB testing. However, negotiations are under way to employ contractors to help catch up in this important area of the cattle TB research programme.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average time has been between when cattle are being compulsorily slaughtered under TB control measures and the receipt of compensation payments by the farmer over the last 12 months for which figures are available. [71019]
§ Mr. MorleyThe information requested is not readily available for the GB as a whole and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
The Government believe that compensation for animals slaughtered should be paid promptly. We are aware of payment delays in some areas due to the pressure of work generated by increased bovine TB testing.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what strategy options have been considered regarding the economic difficulties and movement restrictions regarding bovine TB; and when a decision will be made on these options. [71031]
§ Mr. MorleyMy officials met industry representatives on 27 June to discuss a range of options for softening the economic impact on farmers of movement restrictions applied to herds as a result of TB breakdowns.
Our priority is to ensure that disease control will not be compromised by any new measures applied, therefore, objective risk assessments of the proposals made by industry representatives are being commissioned. No decisions can be made until the risk assessments and full cost be refit analyses have been completed. Officials plan to meet with industry representatives again on this matter in September.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many false positives for bovine TB have been recorded in the current year; and how many false positives there were(a) as a percentage of positive tests and (b) as a percentage of all the tests. [71025]
§ Mr. MorleyNo test for the diagnosis of bovine TB is 100 per cent. specific.
In the UK, the diagnosis of bovine TB in live cattle relies on the single intradermal comparative test which involves the use of both avian and bovine tuberculins. This test is designed to exclude animals which react to other, often non-pathogenic bacteria, which would otherwise interfere with the test and produce 'false positive' reactions.
933WReactors to the skin test, including animals which give an inconclusive reaction after two retests, are slaughtered and examined post-mortem. Infection is confirmed by either the presence of typical, visible lesions or by the laboratory culture of the organism. In the year 2000, of approximately 7,000 reactors slaughtered, post-mortem examination failed to confirm infection in about 45 per cent. of cases. Infection is confirmed in around 60 to 65 per cent. of herds with one or more reactors.
However, these post-mortem examinations are also less than 100 per cent. sensitive, so failure to detect visible lesions or failure to culture the organism does not confirm the absence of infection. It is not therefore possible to determine how many animals which reacted to the skin test are 'false positives'.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what delays there are in compensation payments for cattle compulsorily slaughtered under TB control; and what extra compensation has been paid for the delays. [71020]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Government recognise that compensation for animals slaughtered should be paid promptly. We are aware of some delays in payment in some areas due to the priority given by Animal Health Offices to clearing the backlog of TB testing after the foot and mouth disease outbreak. No extra compensation payments have been made in these cases.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what compensation is provided for cattle that falsely test positive for bovine TB. [71014]
§ Mr. MorleyIt is Government policy to pay 100 per cent. of market value, with no upper limit, for cattle that are compulsorily slaughtered under TB control measures.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research she has commissioned on a bovine TB vaccine that is better than 60 per cent. effective; and if she will make a statement on progress. [71294]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Department has commissioned an extensive programme of research on the vaccination of animals against bovine TB following recommendations made in the Krebs report. Currently we have four projects which are directly related to generating and testing new vaccine candidates and these involve collaboration between Government agencies, institutes and universities both in the UK and internationally. There are also several allied projects to the vaccine programme which include using information from sequencing the M. bovis genome, studying the immune response and pathogenesis of TB, and developing improved diagnostic tests. However, success in developing a bovine TB vaccine that 's better than 60 per cent. effective cannot be guaranteed.
The Independent Scientific Group on cattle TB is at present carrying out a scoping study into the feasibility of vaccination and is due to report at the end of the year.