Environment Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered am ar 17 Gorffennaf 2013.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to his Department's Consultation on a Draft Strategy for Achieving Officially Bovine Tuberculosis-Free Status for England published on 4 July 2013, for what reasons biosecurity measures will be voluntary; and what evidence was taken into account in the decision between a voluntary and mandatory approach.
With regard to specific TB controls, including bio-security measures, I hope that DEFRA's consultation on a draft TB strategy will generate innovative ideas on how Government and industry can work in partnership to eradicate this devastating disease. No options are off the table. However, the business costs associated with a TB breakdown provide many farmers with the incentive to maintain good biosecurity measures voluntarily so as to reduce the risk of their herds contracting the disease.
Mandatory biosecurity controls against TB are also in place—for example, cattle herds are regularly tested for the disease and if a herd owner fails to have a test completed on time cattle movement restrictions are applied immediately; tight movement restrictions are also applied on TB infected herds to minimise the risk of disease spread; and cattle moving from annually tested herds must be pre-movement tested.
We are also working with industry to implement the recommendations of the Risk-Based Trading Group. This will involve putting in place measures that will better enable farmers to share TB history information at the point of sale to enable farmers to make informed risk-based decisions when purchasing cattle.
When making a decision on whether to implement a mandatory approach the Government considers a range of evidence including the benefits and the costs.
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