Plea for united front against bTB at national conference

Senior vets and farmers’ leaders have called for an end to the conflicts that they fear are undermining efforts to eradicate bTB in England and Wales.

The plea came as hundreds of clinicians and producers attended the National TB Conference in Worcester yesterday (29 November).

Despite a long-standing division on the use of badger culling to control the disease, policymakers in both nations claim to be making progress towards the long-term goal of being officially TB-free.

But TB Advisory Service technical director Sarah Tomlinson warned that aim can be hampered by a “them and us” attitude between different stakeholders and even among different parts of the veterinary profession itself.

Lid on issues

Opening the conference at the Sixways Stadium, she told delegates: “I want this to stop.”

A similar message was given when NFU Cymru deputy president Abi Reader argued stakeholders needed to “try to put a lid” on many of the issues that create anger and frustration around the disease.

She also acknowledged the differences between the two nations as she said: “Not all of these things are available to everyone, so what this is about is using what you have got available.

“We’ve got to focus on what we can control and not what we can’t.”

Challenges

The conference heard presentations on the current work to develop a new skin test and vaccine for cattle, as well as insights from local control projects in Cumbria, Oxfordshire and Pembrokeshire, and discussion of the challenges that can arise in the development of policy.

Ruth Little, a social researcher with Defra, said the department acknowledged the potential for a disconnect between itself and industry, and a process of co-designing policy was an important way of countering the problem.

She said: “Coming up with solutions together is how we’re going to get on top of this disease and keep it there.”