It is about time there was a website that isn't just about badgers and bTB. The test is certainly suspect. We have had just a few of our cattle slaughtered as reactors and inconclusives. None have shown signs of Tb or any lesions or developed tb in cultured tissue. They all looked and behaved as if they were healthy. It is the test that needs sorting and we are still on movement restriction and this is awful for our business. Farmers cant refuse and don't like to complain as we dont want our grants witheld so we have to just grin and bear it but many of us are giving up.
Sally (Guest)
14 Mar 2010, 6:45 PM
Although bTB is said to be a chronic, progressive disease, many infected animals show few, if any, clinical signs. Is is therefore debatable whether or not it is an animal welfare problem as presumably if there are no clinical signs and the animal looks and behaves normally, showing no signs of discomfort, then there is no suffering. Cattle owners should check their animals regularly and signs of serious welfare problems are usually evident and action can then be taken immediately to ensure there is no suffering. There are more likely to be animal welfare issues as a result of the movement restriction that come into force for 'breakdown' herds .
