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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take account of the shortage of vets in Devon and Cornwall when considering enforcement of fines for a failure to submit bovine TB tests in time.

We have made it clear to cattle keepers that they should contact their local APHA office if they think they will not be able to complete TB testing within the period of the testing window, which they are notified of in advance. In certain circumstances a new testing deadline can be agreed, with no financial penalty applied. Such circumstances would include where the keeper has clear evidence that they had done their best to meet the testing deadline. Any farmer who believes that he has been unfairly sanctioned for a breach of cross compliance rules can submit an appeal to the RPA.