The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has plans to implement mandatory TB testing for cattle 30 days before they move out of herds with a high risk of TB.

The department’s draft ‘Ten Year Roadmap to Reduce bTB and Drive Towards Eradication 2020-2030’ outlines that herds which have a history of several breakdowns, or of a large extended breakdown, are at a higher risk of recurrence of another TB outbreak after they go clear, and also present a higher risk to neighbouring herds.

The draft document goes on to say that cattle sold from these herds also present a greater risk of transmitting disease to other herds.

The department says it will provide “enhanced support” to these herds. This would include a tailored TB risk management plan for each of these herds individually, which would be designed by a vet who is familiar with the herd.

Another measure would include a requirement that cattle moving out of these herds would be tested within 30 days before movement in order to address the risk of undetected infection spreading to the recipient herd.

Areas with higher TB levels

For areas with higher levels of TB occurrence, the department proposes to increase testing in these areas, directed at at-risk and contiguous herds in those areas.

The document also outlines that the department would investigate local factors driving the increase in disease in a particular area, and what actions would be necessary to combat this.

‘Inconclusives’

For ‘inconclusives’ – cattle which get an inconclusive skin test – the document outlines that these cattle are at a higher risk of being detected as infected in the future, and pose a risk of spreading disease onwards to other cattle within their herd, even if the inconclusives are retained in the herd for a period of years.

The department’s planned TB strategy would include using the blood test on inconclusives, whereby all such cattle will be blood tested shortly after their first inconclusive skin test, and if that test is passed, blood testing of inconclusives would continue at regular intervals while the animal is in the herd.

The department would also communicate to farmers the TB risk from inconclusives, so that they can make “an informed decision” about whether or not to retain them in the herd.

Next steps

It is understood that the department will now hold bilateral meetings with the stakeholders on the TB Forum to discuss this strategy.

AgriLand understands that this process will begin next Tuesday (November 10).