Cattle Vets Urgently Call For New Partnership Approach To Control Of BTB

BCVA President Jonathan Statham has called for the generation of a genuine new partnership between government, industry and the veterinary profession. A longer term view of disease control could see such a partnership taking greater ownership of endemic diseases including tuberculosis (bTB) but with appropriate ‘public good’ support from government. Both parties will benefit from control of bTB as well as other diseases. Industry owned not-for-profit cattle health company (CHCo) An industry owned not-for-profit company could facilitate cost-effective delivery of endemic disease control for the British cattle population, to include bTB. Routine surveillance for bTB could be integrated with other endemic diseases, and delivered sustainably to farming clients by their private veterinary surgeons who could take on a greater responsibility in a ‘TB Plus’ capacity for some of the bTB administrative and epidemiological tasks currently performed by AHVLA vets. An industry levy could run alongside risk-based charging for surveillance at farm level. In balance, government delivers support for bTB breakdown testing, reactor removal and compensation. What would this CHCo look like? Similar to Animal Health Ireland ‘AHI’, the CHCo could have a management board comprising farmer bodies such as NFU; the levy boards; the veterinary organisations BVA and BCVA; Defra and AHVLA, and in addition, industry expertise from Cattle Health Certification Standards (CHeCS); private laboratories and universities together with the Cattle Health & Welfare Group (CHAWG). “It is essential that a critical mass of expertise is maintained in both farming and veterinary sectors,” adds Jonathan Statham. “This concept offers an opportunity to achieve both surveillance and disease readiness for exotic or new emerging disease via an empowered veterinary profession in partnership with government and UK farming industry.” The problem - a need for change There is an increasing incidence of bTB in GB

• 37,753 cattle compulsorily slaughtered as reactors or direct contacts in 2012, compared to 34,247 in 2011
• 5,171 new incidents in 2012 compared to 4,901 in 2011 (herds where at least one animal tests positive for bTB, when the herd had previously been bTB free)
• Approx. 40% England and all of Wales are now in an annual testing area

Current cattle control measures on their own are not preventing the increase in incidence of bTB and its encroachment into clean areas. There is a reservoir of infection in wildlife in areas of England and Wales that leads to considerable difficulties in limiting the on-going spread of disease. “In regions of GB that are free of bTB we must prevent entry of the infection to a susceptible cattle and wildlife population. In endemic areas, cattle controls alone will not address wildlife factors; up to 40% of badgers in endemic areas have bTB and up to 50% of cattle breakdowns are due to badger transmission (RBCT data). To be successful in control we must limit spread of infection in cattle and badger populations.” In the face of this increase, the costs of current control methods are unsustainable

• 8 Million TB tests carried out on cattle in GB in 2012
• £500 million - cost to the taxpayer to control bTB in England in the last decade
• £1 billion – estimated cost to control bTB in England over the next decade

However, we cannot just cut costs of the current ‘test and cull’ policy without a clear strategy for the future, or bTB will become endemic throughout the UK, with implications for public health and economic implications for industry, both at the individual farm level with movement restrictions and replacement costs and at the national level with compromised ability to trade internationally if we are not bTB free. The solution has to be to fundamentally control the disease and find a cost effective solution for doing so. A balanced approach The presence of bTB within the wildlife population, particularly badgers, in endemic areas must be controlled. There has been much research into development of vaccination for use in badgers. Efficacy of current vaccine is variable and vaccination has no effect on badgers already infected, so improvements in overall control by use of vaccination will be too slow. In addition the requirement to trap badgers for administration by injection, with the need for annual boosters, renders vaccination unsustainable logistically and economically. Further research into development of an oral vaccine is ongoing, but uncertain in outcome. Previous research has provided clear evidence that targeted badger culling is associated with a reduction in the incidence of cattle TB. We need to ensure any culling policy is humane, well managed, carefully monitored, efficient, deliverable and cost-effective. Pilot culls are planned with these objectives in mind. Limiting cattle to cattle spread of infection must also be a priority; risk-based trading of cattle and farm biosecurity should be part of this control. “bTB is one of many cattle diseases that require control”, says Jonathan Statham. “Biosecurity measures to prevent entry of infection into cattle herds through boundary and purchased stock controls are applicable to diseases such as BVD and IBR as well as bTB. Similarly improved immune defences, achieved through good herd management, benefit all.” A solution? We are not winning the battle against bTB and time is not on our side,” says BCVA President Jonathan Statham. “Hence the call by BCVA for a genuine new partnership between industry, government and the veterinary profession to allow for ownership of bTB and other endemic diseases and we invite all UK administrations to sign-up to the concept with healthy cattle and wildlife populations being the main aim.”

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