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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers who experience outbreaks of bovine TB to recover.

We recognise the serious impacts that bovine TB (bTB) breakdowns can have on the affected farm businesses and on local rural communities. In addition to statutory payments to compensate farmers for the loss of any animals removed for TB control reasons, Defra provides support and help to affected livestock keepers (and their families) in different ways:

The Defra-funded TB Advisory Service (TBAS) (https://www.tbas.org.uk/) offers free, bespoke, practical and cost-effective advice to all livestock keepers in England. This can be provided by way of farm visits by qualified specialists, over-the phone advice and badger sett surveys to help reduce the risks associated with TB.

Grant funding for the Farming Community Network (FCN), which provides an on-demand support service for those impacted by a TB breakdown, with specially trained volunteers providing business as well as emotional and pastoral support.

ibTB (https://www.ibtb.co.uk/) is a free-to-access, online interactive mapping tool set up to help cattle farmers and their vets to understand the level of bTB in their area and to manage the risks when purchasing cattle. IbTB is updated on a regular basis to enhance its functionality and the quality of information it offers to users.

The TB Hub (https://tbhub.co.uk/) is a joint industry-government initiative, also provides cattle farmers with practical advice and information on dealing with bTB on their farm, covering everything from biosecurity measures to TB testing.

The Five Point Plan (https://tbhub.co.uk/preventing-tb-breakdowns/protect-your-herd-from-bovine-tb/), developed in partnership by industry and Defra, provides clear and practical guidance on good practice for bTB biosecurity.