§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the spread of bovine TB to farming areas restocked with cattle following the lifting of movement restrictions imposed after the foot and mouth outbreak last year. [77390]
§ Mr. MorleyAll new incidents of bovine TB in cattle are recorded and subject to epidemiological investigation. The information obtained is added to the epidemiological database of information relating to the incidence of bovine TB in Great Britain.
226WDefra has commissioned extensive research into the transmission of bovine TB in restocked herds, this will cover a period of two years following restocking.
§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets her Department set for the testing of cattle for bovine TB during this year's summer months. [77392]
§ Mr. MorleyTB testing is an important element in the control of bovine TB. Reducing the number of overdue TB tests to an acceptable level following the testing backlog built up during the foot and mouth disease outbreak is one of the Department's priorities and an additional £3 million has been made available to the State Veterinary Service in England and Wales this year to help with this.
The uptake of testing is traditionally slower in summer months as cattle are out to pasture. While no specific targets were set for the testing of cattle for bovine TB over the summer Defra issued a press notice encouraging farmers to organise their tests. At the end of September the number of outstanding herd tests stood at just over 14,900 tests (down from 27,000 at the end of last year).
On 9 October Defra announced a package of measures for the control of bovine TB in cattle in England. Part of the package is the imposition of movement restrictions on herds with overdue tests. Movement restrictions are being introduced in stages to reflect the risk of disease attached to overdue tests and taking account of the resources available to test herds.
§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many new cases have been reported of TB on farms in Gloucestershire in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [79315]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 4 November 2002]: In the 12-month period 1 October 2001 to 30 September 2002, 216 new TB incidents were reported on cattle premises in Gloucestershire.
The number of TB incidents reported depends on the number of tests carried out and the nature of the testing regime as well as the underlying prevalence of the disease. Testing resources over the 12 month period October 2001 to September 2002 were concentrated on herds with overdue tests following the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. These would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Those currently tested also contain a higher than usual proportion of high risk herds than were being tested prior to the FMD outbreak. As a consequence it is very difficult to assess whether there has been a greater increase in bovine TB than anticipated and it will remain difficult to interpret the numbers of incidents reported until the backlog of tests following the FMD outbreak has been cleared.
§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the interim assessment she has made of the cause of TB in cattle. [79316]
227W
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 4 November 2002]: Bovine TB in cattle is caused by the organism Mycobacterium bovis. Defra is funding a wide-ranging programme of research into how bovine TB is spread. It includes research into the nature of the disease in cattle; what factors in the environment increase the risk to cattle; the spread of the disease between cattle, and between cattle and wildlife; and the role of the badger and other wildlife in disease transmission. Research is still ongoing. It is too early to draw conclusions at this stage.