§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cattle were slaughtered under the tuberculosis testing and surveillance scheme in each of the most recent 12 three-month periods; and how much compensation was paid by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to farmers in each period in respect of cattle slaughtered under the scheme. [HL3677]
§ Lord WhittyThe number of cattle slaughtered under TB control measures, and compensation paid in Great Britain in the time periods requested are detailed in the table below.
Dates Cattle Slaughtered1 (TB Reactors + Direct Contacts) Compensation Paid (to nearest £,000) April-June 20012 824 1,209,000 July-September 20012 1,182 1,489,000 October-December 20012 2,089 1,404,000 January-March 20023 4,932 5,585,000 April-June 20023 5,822 5,045,000 July-September 20023 6,142 9,945,000 October-December 20023 6,109 8,310,000 January-March 20033 6,895 11,891,000 April-June 20033 6,359 7,800,000 July-September 20033 5,063 10,235,000 October-December 20033 4,731 8,289,000 January-March 20043 6,332 10,284,000 Notes:
1 In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. Since testing resumed in 2002, resources have been concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of high risk herds being tested post-FMD is greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, the number of TB reactors identified and slaughtered in these years is not comparable to those identified and slaughtered in subsequent years.
2 Data downloaded from State Veterinary Service database on 13 July 2004.
3 Provisional data extracted from National Statistics published on 23 June 2004. Subject to change as more data become available.