§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her best estimate is of the effect on the competitiveness of British dairy products compared with those of(a) Ireland, (b) France and (c) other European Union member states arising from the additional cost borne exclusively by UK farmers as a result of bovine TB. [158369]
§ Mr. BradshawThere are too many variables to be assessed, for instance, industry structures, fluctuation in /euro rates and uncertainty about the real economic effects of TB on the average dairy business in Great Britain, to allow for a realistic estimate of effects on competitiveness to be made.
The cost of TB to farmers in Great Britain is currently being assessed. Defra has commissioned Reading University to carry out research into the economic impacts of TB and alternative control policies in Great Britain. A report is expected shortly and a summary of the findings will be published on the Defra website in due course.
989W
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the findings from the Krebs reactive trials are sufficient to rule out the use of reactive culling on a larger scale than was undertaken during those trials. [158698]
§ Mr. BradshawThe result from the reactive areas of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial suggests that removal of badgers in the way it was carried out during the trial is ineffective in reducing the level of bovine TB in the cattle population. Reactive culling of badgers in this way, even on a larger scale, has therefore been ruled out as a policy option.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there is a relationship between badger population density and the prevalence of TB in badger populations. [158716]
§ Mr. BradshawCurrently the only available data, to investigate the potential relationship between disease prevalence and badger population density, originates from the Central Science Laboratory's study at Woodchester Park. This suggests that the prevalence of infection in badgers has fluctuated widely and bears no simple linear relationship to badger density.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the difference in population growth rates is between(a) high, (b) medium and (c) low density badger populations; and what the primary factors responsible for the difference are. [158717]
§ Mr. BradshawThe growth rate of the badger population, as with any animal population is dependent upon a number of underlying ecological principles, and in particular the rates of births and deaths. A high density population may have little scope for growth, as it is likely to be near the capacity which that particular habitat can support, if the local habitat is poor for badgers then it may only be capable of supporting low numbers. However, if badgers are culled to a low level from a previously high density in a location where conditions are favourable, then there is likely to be considerable potential for population recovery.
Following removal of 11 social groups from a high density badger population in Gloucestershire, it took 10 years for numbers to recover to pre-cull levels (Cheeseman et al, 1993). Following incomplete removal of eight social groups in a lower density population also in Gloucestershire, density returned to pre-cull levels after only three years (Tuyttens et al, 2000). Recovery rates are likely to be dependent on the quality of the habitat, and the size of the badger population in the surrounding area from which immigration will occur.
Cheeseman et al,(1993) Recolonisation by badgers in Gloucestershire. In: Hayden, T.J. (Ed) The badger. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, pp. 78–93.
Tuyttens, F.A.M., et al. (2000) Spatial perturbation caused by a badger culling operation. Journal of Animal Ecology, 69,815–828.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to what extent multiple administration of a TB detection test with low990W sensitivity improves the chances of detection of infection in an infected animal which has previously shown a negative response to that test. [158720]
§ Mr. BradshawAny single test with imperfect sensitivity, when applied more than once to an infected animal, will cause the overall sensitivity of the procedure to rapidly approach 100 per cent., although the added value of extra tests will diminish substantially. The probability formula for the overall sensitivity of the multiple testing protocol is as follows:
n
[...] a(1-a)r-1
r-1
Where a is the known sensitivity of a single test, n is the total number of tests carried out in the same animal and r ranges in value from 1 to n.
Notes:
This formula assumes:
- 1. conditional independence between test results (i.e. the sensitivity of one test does not affect the sensitivity of previous or subsequent tests in the same animal) and
- 2. that once an animal tests positive on any occasion it is considered to be infected and is not subjected to further testing.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is possible to identify visually individual badgers which are heavily infected by TB; whether it is possible to target those badgers for killing; and whether such a practice would have a significant impact on the incidence of TB in(a) badger and (b) cattle populations. [158723]
§ Mr. BradshawCurrently, the only sure way of determining the TB status of a badger is through post mortem examination. Even heavily infected individuals may show no outward sign of TB infection. It follows that it would not be possible to target such badgers effectively, and such a practice would be unlikely to have a significant effect on TB in badger or cattle populations.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Treasury on the costs of the TB control programme. [159059]
§ Mr. BradshawDiscussions are in progress with the Treasury in relation to Spending Review 2004 and expenditure on the TB control programme is a recognised element in those discussions.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she plans to reduce the costs of the TB control programme. [159060]
§ Mr. BradshawA key challenge for Government in developing a new TB strategy is, in partnership with industry and others, to reduce the overall economic impact of TB and increase the cost-effectiveness of control measures.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the need for(a) vaccination of (i) cattle 991W and (ii) badgers and (b) other measures to control the incidence of TB in cattle herds in the absence of any significant wildlife reservoir of the disease. [159061]
§ Mr. BradshawEvidence from other countries shows that, in the absence of a significant wildlife reservoir, cattle controls based on regular testing and slaughter, inspection at slaughterhouses, and movement restrictions (including tracing and contiguous testing) can be effective at controlling bovine TB without vaccination.
Any badger/wildlife management strategy (whether culling or vaccination) would need to be deployed in conjunction with cattle-based controls. However, practical application of potential vaccines for cattle or badgers remains a long-term prospect.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what cattle biosecurity measures were maintained during the Thornbury badger clearance programme. [159066]
§ Mr. BradshawNo enhanced biosecurity measures were maintained during the Thornbury badger clearance programme.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are undertaken by her Department in respect of animal sanctuaries and hospitals to ensure that the guidelines relating to the release of badgers into the wild are fully observed. [159069]
§ Mr. BradshawNone. As I have explained in previous answers these guidelines were prepared by animal welfare organisations and are voluntary. As they are not approved by the Department we do not seek to enforce their use.
Animal hospitals treating sick or injured badgers are not legally required to test animals for bovine tuberculosis before they are released from captivity.
To minimise the risk of animal hospitals accidentally spreading tuberculosis Defra facilitated development of the voluntary protocol for the rehabilitation and release of badgers. This was drawn up by the RSPCA, National Federation of Badgers Groups and Secret World Wildlife Rescue. The protocol provides comprehensive guidance on the precautions necessary to protect the welfare of badgers and critically, to minimise the risk of transmitting bovine tuberculosis.
The protocol is promoted by the organisations above and is available via the internet at: http://www.badger.org.uk/action/badger-rehabilitation-protocol-contents.html
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the change in premiums for bovine TB insurance policies since 1997. [159070]
§ Mr. BradshawNo such assessment has been made. Insurance companies will make their own decisions on whether to insure, and about the size of premiums, based on their assessment of the risk.
Contact between officials and the insurance industry early in 2003 indicated that, although companies are honouring existing policies, they are not offering new policies to cover TB in cattle herds, particularly in areas 992W where TB is increasingly prevalent. This is because farmers do not wish to take the cover in areas where the risk is low (such as Yorkshire), but do wish to purchase cover in areas of high incidence (such as the South West). However, the insurance companies considered that the financial risks in offering insurance policies in areas of high incidence were too high at that time.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the measures necessary to restore health to the national badger population. [159071]
§ Mr. BradshawNone.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will determine the optimum population of badgers for each county area, having regard to the effect of high badger densities on(a) property, (b) wildlife and (c) the incidence of TB. [159076]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Government expect the badger to remain a common species, but do not have views on the optimum badger population level, nationally or regionally.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the total hours expended by field officers engaged on randomised badger culling trials were absorbed by travelling time. [159079]
§ Mr. BradshawIndividual elements of the field trial including such overheads are not individually quantifiable, as a work recording scheme is not operational. However, in 2003 approximately 1,130,000 miles were driven in WLU official vehicles, which roughly equates to between 2 and 3 hours driving per day per person.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what epidemiological value data on the seasonal incidence of TB in cattle has in determining possible causation. [159080]
§ Mr. BradshawTB surveillance in GB relies particularly on tuberculin skin testing and meat inspection at the slaughterhouse. Neither of these methods allows a precise ascertainment of when new infection occurred. This is compounded by the nature of TB which is a chronic disease with a highly variable incubation period. If it were possible to determine the time of infection with any certainty, this information would, in some circumstances, help inform the source of infection.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has(a) commissioned and (b) received on chemical deterrents which may be used to protect buildings or other structures from badger ingress. [159081]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food commissioned research in the 1990s on the use of odour repellents that could potentially be used to protect buildings and other structures. The Department is currently considering commissioning new work on this topic. Information on chemical deterrents research is received at intervals as part of normal day-to-day business.
993W
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the(a) incidence and (b) prevalence of bovine TB in the South West of England was in 1994; and what the current figures are. [159082]
§ Mr. BradshawA comparison of the incidence of bovine TB in the South West of England in 1994 and 2003 is given in the following table
Table: Incidence of TB in South West England 1994 South West1 2003 West Region2 (provisional data) Total number of TB Herd tests 11,948 19,910 Total new herd TB incidents3 648 2,035 Total confirmed new incidents (CNIs)4 274 1,053 Incidence5 (Percentage) 2.29 5.29 1 Source: The Report of the Chief Veterinary Officer 1994. The area covered by the figures may not exactly correspond to the 2003 West Region. 2 Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Avon, Wiltshire, Hereford and Worcester and Shropshire. 3 A TB incident is one where at least one reactor is disclosed at the TB test. 4 A confirmed incident is one where disease is confirmed by finding visible lesions at post mortem examination or M. bovis is cultured in the laboratory. 5 For the purpose of comparing data from 1994 with 2003, incidence is defined as percentage of herds tested that result in CNIs. A better definition would be the percentage of unrestricted herds tested that result in a CNI, but the figures for tests on unrestricted herds are not available for 1994. We have no reliable or certain measure of prevalence, which is defined in the Krebs Report as "the proportion of a population infected at any one time".
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to what extent cattle husbandry creates conditions favourable to colonisation of the habitat by badgers. [159084]
§ Mr. BradshawMany features of the cattle farming landscape are beneficial to badgers. For example, permanent pasture provides ideal habitat for badgers to forage for earthworms, and farm woodlands and hedgerows provide cover for their setts. Furthermore, cattle feed may provide alternative nutrition for badgers when natural foods are unavailable. This is most likely where cattle feed is either put out on pasture or stored in insecure facilities.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discretion directors of veterinary investigation laboratories have to authorise the post mortem examination of badgers for the presence of TB when presented to their laboratories by a private individual. [159109]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Veterinary Surveillance Department of the VLA, in consultation with Defra, has issued formal instructions to the VLA Regional Laboratories that allow them to carry out post mortem examinations on badgers and other wildlife, on behalf of private individuals, for the purposes of TB screening providing that the submitter is prepared to meet the full cost of the work carried out. There are three provisos, namely
the premises where the carcase or sick animal was found must be outside the Randomised Badger Culling Trial area; 994W the VLA has the capacity to undertake this work without compromising any of the statutory TB work that is being carried out on behalf of Defra;as with all carcase submissions the duty veterinarian has the authority to cease examination where the carcase is found to be unsuitable for further examination, e.g. where the carcase is autolysed or where there is extensive rupture of internal organs due to traumatic injury.Where there is a conflict in workload the private work may be declined or consideration given to retaining the carcase in either a chilled or frozen state until there is a more convenient time to complete the examination.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the scientific merit of the results obtained from the Thornbury badger clearance project. [159110]
§ Mr. BradshawThere were no scientific controls set up at the time of clearance. This limits the scientific merit of the results. However, both a before and after comparison, and a comparison with incidence in geographically close areas where no contemporary systematic removal of badgers occurred, provide useful information about the effect of culling.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reports of road traffic accidents involving badgers were received by her Department in each of the last five years; how many carcasses were received by veterinary investigation service laboratories in each of those years; and how many were subject to full post-mortem examination including microbiological analysis. [159111]
§ Mr. BradshawThis information is given in the following table.
Number of carcases reported Number of carcases delivered to veterinary laboratories Number of carcases post mortemed November 2000 to January 2001 1— 1— 199 January to 31 May 2002 1— 252 220 1 June to December 2002 705 486 435 1 January to 31 December 2003 1,712 1,048 849 1 January to 29 February 2004 285 212 180 Total 2,702 1,998 1,883 1 This information is not available.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what facilities are in place for the(a) collection from site of the carcases of badgers killed in road traffic accidents and (b) delivery to veterinary investigation laboratories. [159112]
§ Mr. BradshawThere are four refrigerated vans available to collect carcases of badgers from sites and deliver them to veterinary laboratories.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the long-term effect on the badger population of total clearance of badgers from a specific location. [159113]
§ Mr. BradshawStudies by the Central Science Laboratory, at Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire, showed that it took badgers approximately 10 years to recolonise areas that had been totally cleared. Initial 995W immigration occurred very quickly, but the population took many years to reach the pre-cull density. This study also showed that, in the initial phase of recovery, badger social organisation was disrupted—the so called perturbation effect.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost of damage caused by badgers to(a) land, (b) buildings, (c) roads and (d) other structures is since the Prevention of Badgers Act 1992 came into force. [159114]
§ Mr. BradshawThere is no national estimate of the financial value of damage to land, buildings, roads and other structures by badgers.
A survey of badger damage to agricultural properties in England and Wales conducted in 1997 estimated that the annual cost of damage to structures on farms (this includes buildings, machinery, drains, fences etc.) was £25.7 million (with 95 per cent. C1 of 21.5–29.8m). This value was based on information provided by respondents and assumed that the respondents (55 per cent.) were an unbiased sample of the 3,600 farmers who received questionnaires.
Moore N.P., Whiterow, A., Langton, S.D., Kelly, P.P., Garthwaite, D., Bishop, J.D. and Cheeseman, C.L. (1998) The Assessment of Badger Damage to Agriculture and Forestry. Report to MAFF, Project VC 0318.
Moore N.P., Whiterow, A., Kelly, P.F., Garthwaite, D., Bishop, J. D. Langton, S.D. and Cheeseman, C.L. (1999) Survey of badger Meles meles damage to agriculture in England and Wales. Journal of Applied Ecology 36:974–988
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2003,Official Report, column 631W, whether she has consulted the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on the veterinary resource implications of increasing the frequency of cattle TB testing. [159276]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is one of the organisations we are currently consulting in the course of our review of the bovine tuberculosis strategy.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the need for animal vaccines in the event of the eradication of the wildlife reservoir of bovine TB. [159286]
§ Mr. BradshawNo wildlife reservoir of bovine TB has been identified for eradication. In the event that eradication of a wildlife reservoir was selected as a policy option, it may still be appropriate to retain the option of "ring-vaccination" in zones adjacent to those targeted by eradication. Since it cannot at present be guaranteed that eradication of a wildlife reservoir would completely eliminate bovine tuberculosis, there may still be a need to maintain research towards development of a cattle vaccine.
996W
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has received of badger damage to flood defence works; and what the estimated cost of the damage was. [159291]
§ Mr. MorleyDamage from badgers' setts and tunnels is most likely to be significant in fenland or lowland areas where embankments may be weakened.
Maintenance of such defences is a matter for the relevant operating authorities, who accordingly do not report such damage as a matter of course.
Repairs to defences are undertaken as part of authorities' routine maintenance programmes and it is not possible to give figures for the costs of repair due to damage caused by badgers.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the reliability of badger culling trials in areas which are bounded by major physical obstacles which prevent badger entry into cleared areas. [159292]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Thornbury clearance area was bounded by major motorways and rivers. Complete badger clearance was achieved by repeated gassing of setts with hydrogen cyanide. The area was subsequently recolonised, showing that badgers can migrate across barriers such as motorways. Large expanses of water are probably the only really effective barrier to badger movement.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are taken to ensure that wildlife unit officers and vehicles engaged in work relating to the trapping or destruction of badgers are unrecognisable. [159294]
§ Mr. BradshawWildlife Unit staff wear a range of outdoor clothing suitable for the conditions and environment in which they are working. None is specific to the Department or bears official 'logos'.
The Wildlife Unit now has a diverse fleet of off road vehicles and none bear any official identification as Crown or departmental vehicles. When necessary number plates of such vehicles have been changed.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 28 January 2004,Official Report, column 384W, whether these data indicate that a significant number of herd tests fail to identify infection where it is present; and what her best estimate is of the failure rate. [159295]
§ Mr. BradshawThe data for 2000 indicate that there were approximately 2 per cent. of confirmed new cases in herds that had been subject to a clear routine whole herd test in the 90 days prior to detection of the infected animal(s) at the slaughterhouse. It is not known how many of these infections started during this 90 day period but after the routine test. In half of these cases, no further animals were found infected at the subsequent check teats.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence her Department has collated on whether badgers have been translocated illegally from the Krebs trials areas. [159296]
997W
§ Mr. BradshawI refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 January 2004,Official Report, column 484W.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2004,Official Report, column 538W, on badgers, to what level the incidence of TB in 1997 was expected to rise by 2003; and what level it reached in 2003. [159327]
§ Mr. BradshawThe incidence of TB in badgers in 1997 is not known, and no estimation was made of expected incidence by 2003.
The incidence of a disease is the number of new cases expressed as a percentage of the population at risk. Therefore, for badgers it is no feasible to estimate incidence, as we have no reliable means of estimating the uninfected population or the number becoming infected.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to reduce the compensation payable to livestock owners for TB. [159052]
§ Mr. BradshawCompensation for livestock slaughtered for TB control is paid at the market value of the animals. However, ongoing measures to rationalise compensation will see the introduction of quality assurance methods to control wayward valuations and provide greater accountability.