Farmers fear spread of disease in cattle (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Farmers fear spread of disease in cattle

Trevor Guley with some of his Holstein Fresian herd (30568/1)FARMERS in Wiltshire could be facing another year of misery as disease threatens their cattle again.

The county National Farmers' Union has announced a 40 per cent increase in the number of cattle infected with bovine TB, based on figures from the first quarter of this year.

According to the South West NFU the main source of infection is diseased badgers.

Spokesman Ian Johnson said: "The way badgers live and behave, in close proximity to each other, makes them extremely susceptible to the disease. The sick badgers are pushed out by the others, so they go to places like cattle sheds for shelter."

The South West NFU wants to tackle the disease now, but says the Government is not reacting fast enough.

Mr Johnson said: "Bovine TB is already out of hand in our area, if we don't act now the south west could become like a leper colony."

The foot-and-mouth crisis had a devastating effect on Wiltshire farmers, with many going out of business.

Although bovine TB would not be as catastrophic, the worry is that the disease could force smaller farms to close.

Melksham farmer, Trevor Guley has already been affected by the Bovine TB crisis, despite his cattle being free from the disease.

Mr Guley said: "We were shut down for 40 days because some of our cattle tested inconclusive. As a result some of the herd had to be destroyed because of overcrowding."

But although Mr Guley thinks badgers are responsible for spreading the disease, he does not want to see a cull.

He said: "I think the Government should look into employing a ranger to look after the wildlife in the area. It's only the sick badgers that are a danger to our livestock."

Many farmers feel the Government should be doing more.

Dairy farmer Phillip Quick, of Upper Bearfield Farm, Bradford on Avon, said: "I don't think the Government wants to prove the link between badgers and the disease."

His farm was tested for the disease in April. He said: "We had a test two months ago, three of the cows were inconclusive, but they went through the second time. It upset the animals a bit, but we would be a lot worse if we actually had it here. The disease might not have come from badgers originally, but they are definitely responsible for spreading it."

The Government set up the Krebs Trials in 1996 to investigate the link between badgers and bovine TB but the results will not be known until 2007.

Factfile: Bovine TB

Bovine TB is an infectious and contagious disease of cattle, caused by the bacterium, Mycobacterium Bovis.

It is an inflammatory condition characterised by the development of tubercles in any organ of the body.

Although it is considered to be an airborne disease, animals can also become infected through contaminated food.

The disease was a major problem in cattle earlier in the century, but was virtually eradicated by tuberculin skin testing and destruction of infected cattle.

Bovine TB has persisted in the south west, which has long been the traditional stronghold for the disease.

In 1996, the Government charged Professor John Krebs and an independent scientific research panel with investigating the link between badgers and bovine TB in cattle.

19,792 bovine TB reactors (cattle that tested positive on a tuberculin skin test) were destroyed nationwide in 2002.

116 Wiltshire herds were put under movement restrictions during tests in April 2005.

296 cattle have been slaughtered as reactors in Wiltshire so far this year.