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Case Studies and Articles Latest |
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30 Jul 2019, 3:10 PM
A dairy farmer has been fined for chaotic record keeping that may have contributed to the spread of bovine tuberculosis on his premises. read more...
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13 Aug 2014, 1:18 PM
A young lad is forced to slaughter his pet cow because of the current bovine TB policy. read more...
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29 Mar 2014, 1:56 PM
A 33 year old farmer and father of two in Shrophsire was killed by a bull as he tested cattle for bTB. He was conducting routine bTB testing on cows at Ashwood Farm in Whitchurch on 3 December 2013 when he was fatally injured by a bull read more...
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13 Dec 2013, 6:47 PM
There is such a focus on badgers that the fact that bovine TB is a cattle based problem has been set on one side. History has shown us that the incidence of TB in cattle can be brought down to a very low level by cattle based measures alone. Add to this the vaccination of badgers in hot spot areas and even their implication can be dealt with. read more...
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9 Dec 2013, 6:08 PM
Looking at some of the anti cull websites and having kept a close eye on media reports during the trial culls that have recently finished in Gloucestershire and Somerset, it would seem that if the culling is rolled out into other areas the level of opposition is not going to get less and could even worsen, meaning that policing costs alone (paid for from public funds) are going to be exorbitant. read more...
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8 Nov 2013, 6:38 PM
This article is a summary of the significant legal proceedings relating to incidents re cattle and bovine TB. read more...
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7 Nov 2013, 8:20 PM
In this well researched article by Mike Rendle he poses this question: 'Are badger infections following, not leading, bovine TB infections in cattle? ' and discovers some very interesting facts about cattle, badgers and bovine TB. read more...
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30 Oct 2013, 9:18 AM
Bovine TB - the views of a farmer based on field-based observations over many years. Peter Aspin was a herdsman, then a dairy farmer. He is now a beef farmer and also has a contract rearing dairy heifers for a local farmer. He was conventional and is now organic. He also run the Shropshire Agroforestry Project. All on 40 acres. To understand bovine TB one must first understand how significantly livestock husbandry practices have changed in recent years. I was on a dairy farm a couple of years ago - a closed herd (one that reared all its own replacement youngstock) - which had had its first bTB breakdown. Two veterinarians had arrived to do the follow-up sixty day retest. Talking to them I asked what they thought was the source of the problem. Their immediate response was that the adjacent dairy farm had purchased imported cattle the previous year, this herd had subsequently developed bTB and passed the infection either directly or via a vector to the neighbouring herd. Whether the imported cattle were themselves carriers of bTB or whether they had no immunity, I do not know and I assumed the vets did not know but the issue of cattle importation is a major concern for both farmers and vets. Ever increasing numbers of dairy cattle are being imported simply because they are cheaper if large enough numbers are purchased. I know of a herd of over two thousand dairy cows where not a single replacement animal is home-reared, every single one arrives on a lorry from mainland Europe. read more...
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15 Sep 2013, 1:54 PM
Dairy farm worker, Steve Jones, is not happy about the future of the dairy industry, or the current policy to cull badgers. The industry has many problems. Bovine tuberculosis is just one.'The cattle industry is long overdue for reform', he says. Here he sets out his comments. read more...
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Cattle Movement Offences – cattle dealer from Neath, Port Talbot as well as land in Monmouthshire |
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2 Nov 2011, 7:51 PM
At Newport magistrates court a cattle dealer who operates from Neath, Port Talbot as well as land in Monmouthshire pleaded guilty to 22 offences under the Cattle Identification (Wales) Regulations 2007 with the court being informed that there were approximately 2500 offences altogether and that the ones before them were specimens.
Offences related to moves on and off holdings under the dealers control in Neath Port Talbot and Monmouthshire and included cattle that had moved through the local livestock markets as well as various other premises across South Wales. Under the cattle identification regulations it is a requirement that all moves on and off livestock premises are notified to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) within 3 days of any movement taking place.
It was shown that over the past four years the defendant had repeatedly failed to comply with this requirement with moves being anything up to 6 months late and in some instances not reported at all. In some instances livestock had subsequently moved off premises before the movement on had been reported. Had there been a disease outbreak this could have severely impacted on the speed that tracings could have been made leading to unnecessary delays and potentially further spread of disease.
Magistrates fined the defendant a total of £7,370 and ordered him to pay £4,800 costs.
Speaking on behalf of Monmouthshire, County Councillor Phil Murphy said that such ignorance of disease control requirements was unacceptable in the County. "This should be a reminder to the farming community of the need to ensure compliance with disease control legislation, it highlight’s the importance of traceability of livestock and that the devastating effect that Foot and Mouth disease had on the country should not be forgotten", he said.
David Williams, chairman of the Badger Trust, said: ”Bovine tuberculosis is easily spread by crimes like this because cattle had been moved in and out of an area affected by the disease. Too many in the livestock industry are either involved or turn a blind eye, yet unreasonably blame only the badger while the livestock industry continues to clamour for Ministers to enforce culling. Until the livestock industry stops dealers and farmers breaking the law and puts its house in order it will never get clear of disease”.
Speaking on behalf of Monmouthshire, County Councillor Phil Murphy said that such ignorance of disease control requirements was unacceptable. "This should be a reminder to the farming community of the need to ensure compliance with disease control legislation. It highlights the importance of traceability with livestock", he said.
Under the cattle identification regulations it is a requirement that all moves on and off livestock premises are notified to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) within three days of any movement taking place. The court heard that the defendant had failed repeatedly to comply with this requirement with moves being reported up to six months late and sometimes not at all. Magistrates fined the defendant a total of £7,370 and ordered him to pay £4,800 costs.
21st Oct 2011
Information from www.tradingstandardswales.org.uk/prosecutions/Monsaninalhealth.cfm
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