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Build on TB eradication plan, urges CLA
cows
CLA calls for the government to continue the badger culls and work towards lifting farm movement restrictions.
Land owner association releases manifesto for the next government

A membership organisation for land owners has called on candidates in next year's general election to build upon the 25-year bovine TB (bTB) eradication plan and continue with badger culling as part of a wider strategy.

Members of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) own and manage half of the rural land in England and Wales.

The organisation has released a manifesto for the 2015 elections – titled “Unlock the Countryside's Potential” – setting out recommendations to election candidates.

It states that while the government's bTB strategy is “challenging” it offers a “realistic and holistic long-term view” to rid England of the disease.

Cattle slaughters due to bTB totalled 38,000 in 2011. The disease is thought to have cost the British taxpayer around £500million over the past decade – a figure estimated to rise to £1billion over the next 10 years.

The CLA said it welcomed last year's badger culls as part of a “wider science-based strategy” and calls on the next government to continue with trial culls.

After Liz Truss recently replaced Owen Paterson as environment secretary, she announced that the badger culls would continue in Gloucestershire and Somerset. It is reported that she also recently confirmed Natural England will monitor the culls.

Last year's pilot culls were found to be ineffective and inhumane by an independent expert panel (IEP) and have long been controversial. The Badger Trust was recently granted a judicial review of the legality of conducting the culls without an IEP to monitor them.  

In its manifesto, the CLA says it supports the continuation of the culls as part of a wider strategy “based on the latest scientific evidence.”

It also calls on the next government to engage with stakeholders to work towards the removal of farm movement restrictions, while ensuring traceability and food safety.

Read the CLA's full manifesto: www.cla.org.uk

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.