The Fight Against Bovine TB, British Veterinary Association

Main Category: Veterinary
Article Date: 08 Jul 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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The British Veterinary Association (BVA) on Monday expressed disappointment, but no surprise, at the Government's decision to reject the multi-faceted approach unanimously recommended by the House of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRACom) to address the spread of Bovine TB within the cattle and badger population.

BVA President Nick Blayney said that the veterinary profession was "deeply concerned about the ongoing lack of disease control and the resulting impact on cattle and badger health and welfare. Be in no doubt" he said "to date measures directed at cattle alone have not led to disease control". While welcoming the commitment to increased funding for research on vaccines "there was" said Mr Blayney "little doubt that any progress is some years down the line and it is hard to see how the Minister can expect either dairy farmers or the veterinary profession to 'move forward' in tackling the disease when nothing, other than yet another group, albeit under a new name - the Bovine TB Partnership Group - is envisaged for the foreseeable future. Both badgers and cattle are significant animals in the spread of TB as all the science agrees."

Register for the BVA Congress 2008 online at http://www.bva.co.uk/congress or email congress@bva.co.uk for more information.

British Veterinary Association