BVA Statement On The ISG Report On Cattle TB

In welcoming the publication of the ISG’s final report, the culmination of nearly ten years’ work, BVA President David Catlow stressed that the BVA now needed to thoroughly digest its contents, assess the implications of the recommendations and, in collaboration with government and industry, seek constructive and innovative means of finding solutions to this complex issue. “The report is long, comprehensive and indeed complicated and BVA does not” said Mr Catlow “intend responding to it until we have had an opportunity to separate out the scientific conclusions - which are difficult to question without reading the original and previously published papers - from the policy advice that flows from the ISG view. “I do, however, again reject the ISG’s assertion that ‘ … veterinary leaders continue to believe, in spite of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, that the main approach to cattle TB control must involve some form of badger population control.’ “As I said yesterday (Tuesday 19 June) on Farming Today the BVA has not said that the main approach should be wildlife management but rather that it is one part of TB control and eradication. And, again contrary to the ISG assertion, BVA most certainly does look to be informed by science. “We must all learn from the ISG science and the models they have explored to help identify further bTB controls in the longer term.” In the meantime the ISG report is available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/index.htm and David Miliband’s Ministerial Statement at this link

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