Bovine Tuberculosis

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – in the House of Commons at 10:30 am on 17 November 2005.

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Photo of Ann Winterton Ann Winterton Conservative, Congleton 10:30, 17 November 2005

What recent assessment she has made of the spread of bovine tuberculosis among cattle herds.

Photo of Ben Bradshaw Ben Bradshaw Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare)

Bovine TB restrictions affected approximately 5.2 per cent. of cattle herds in Great Britain between January and September 2005, compared with approximately 4.7 per cent. for the same period in 2004. Corresponding figures for Cheshire show that 2 per cent. of herds were restricted owing to a TB incident in the first nine months of 2005, compared with nearly 3 per cent. for the same period last year.

Photo of Ann Winterton Ann Winterton Conservative, Congleton

Notwithstanding the Minister's answer—I think that the figures are shocking in spite of the fact that Cheshire has done slightly better in the past year—will the Department not take the advice of the professionals, namely veterinary surgeons? Is he aware that the immediate past president of the British Veterinary Association said that

"the infected badger should be removed; what we are debating is how to do so in an effective manner"?

Is the Minister aware of the letter sent to the Secretary of State by more than 350 distinguished members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons saying that unless immediate action—

Photo of Ben Bradshaw Ben Bradshaw Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare)

It might help the hon. Lady if I reassure her that we are well aware of all the representations made by professional veterinary organisations, including the BVA, and we expect to make an announcement on the issue shortly.

Photo of David Drew David Drew Labour, Stroud

Will my hon. Friend take some advice from this side of the House? Given that the Government have made it clear that the only answer to bovine TB is science, is not looking for short-term solutions, whether that is blaming the badger as the cause or blaming it as the transmission mechanism, as wrong as arguing that the badger does not have a part to play? If we look for short-term solutions, we will end up in a bigger mess.

Photo of Ben Bradshaw Ben Bradshaw Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare)

My hon. Friend is quite right. It is critical that Governments of all political colours do not make decisions that either are short term or could make the situation even worse. We must take that into careful consideration when we make our announcement later this autumn. A difficulty highlighted by Ann Winterton, who talked about targeting infected badgers, is that there is no way of telling whether a badger has TB until it is dead.

Photo of William McCrea William McCrea Shadow Spokesperson (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I am sure that the Minister will agree that the farming community is doing its utmost to prevent the spread of TB in the farm animal population. What will the Department do to rid the wildlife population of the disease? We cannot expect members of the farming community continually to test farm animals for TB while their animals are being re-infected, probably from contact with wildlife.

Photo of Ben Bradshaw Ben Bradshaw Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare)

I accept that many farmers take sensible biosecurity precautions, but there is always room for improvement. Eighty per cent. of TB cases are spread from cattle to cattle, but there is always more that we can do. I expect that some of the announcements that we will make later this autumn will be about what more can be done to prevent the spread of TB between cattle as well as how we may address the wildlife problem.

Photo of Patrick Cormack Patrick Cormack Chair, Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Chair, Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

About a year ago, the Minister promised me that he would look into the possibility of putting badgers on the pill. Has he made any progress?

Photo of Ben Bradshaw Ben Bradshaw Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare)

Slow progress, I am afraid. Humane sterilisation or contraception that can be administered easily—namely, orally—is still some way off.