bTB outbreak in Scotland
An outbreak of Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) on a West Lothian farm in a dairy herd that has been closed since 1988 has prompted an investigation by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). Sixty head of cattle were slaughtered after a 13-year old cow sent for slaughter was found to be infected during a routine veterinary inspection and subsequent testing found more positive reactors in the herd.
“The affected herd is a fully closed dairy herd and no cattle have been brought on to the farm since 1988. It is something of a mystery. Scotland has had a low and relatively stable incidence of bovine TB for many years, with the last case in January this year. Scotland’s official TB-free status will not be affected by this case.” said a spokeswoman for the Scottish Government.
The outbreak is also troubling in light of Scotland's relatively low general risk from bTB. A spokesman for NFU Scotland noted that “Within the British Isles, Scotland is in a uniquely privileged position with low disease incidence and no wildlife component impacting on our disease picture. The absence of repeated reinfections within single herds, or clusters of disease caused by the same strain of TB, are indicators that a wildlife reservoir is not driving infection.”
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
