§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what lessons can be learned in respect of UK TB control measures from the New Zealand experiences of possum clearance. [158291]
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§ Mr. BradshawThere are two main lessons to be learned from the New Zealand experience of possum clearance. Firstly, in a situation where a wild mammal acts as a maintenance host of TB, a successful eradication scheme must include a strategy to limit the infective contacts between the wildlife reservoir and cattle. This must be in addition to a programme of frequent tuberculin testing of cattle herds, removal of reactors, slaughterhouse surveillance and controls of cattle movements from infected herds. The second lesson is that this multi-pronged approach is an effort that must be maintained over time.