Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impacts of tuberculosis (a) initial testing, (b) test failure followed by further testing after 60 days and (c) test failure of stock retained on a farm beyond the intended timescale on farm labour.

A) Details on the number of cattle tested for bovine TB together with the number of test positive animals are included in our regularly published statistics. Here is a link to the latest statistical notice: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/historical-statistics-notices-on-the-incidence-of-tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain-2022-quarterly

B) We have assumed that the reference to ‘failed tests’ relates to cattle with an “inconclusive reactor” test result. Inconclusive reactors (IRs) are cattle that have a differential bovine-avian reaction to the skin test that is not strong enough to classify them as reactors. These animals remain isolated from their herd while awaiting the results of a retest at 60 days. IRs that do not give a negative result at the retest are deemed to be test reactors and removed. Defra and APHA do not view an inconclusive test result as a ‘failed test’. In the High Risk Area of England, 40% of officially TB free herds that only disclosed IRs went on to have a TB incident within the following 15 months. This was similar in the Edge Area (36%) and Low Risk Area (25%). This indicates that IRs are an important predictor of the presence of infection and supports the policy of restricting IRs that pass their 60-day re-test (‘resolved IRs’) to their disclosing herd for life.

C) Defra has made no assessment on the impact on farm labour caused by any overdue tests for cattle with inconclusive test results.