tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68858422024-03-07T22:33:05.015+00:00Bovine TBTo discuss and increase awareness of the growing epidemic of Bovine TB in Britain.Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561483930556493363noreply@blogger.comBlogger983125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-75881556158165931372023-12-10T18:49:00.000+00:002023-12-10T18:49:26.846+00:00Another year, another conference.<p>As 2023 draws to a close, the National TB conference was held in Worcestershire, where the great and good, and many recipients of APHA's largesse, spoke about zoonotic tuberculosis .</p><p>Sorry, no link to the reports, but as we read them, the divide between farms and the department which is supposed to support the eradication of this grade 3 zoonosis is described as a 'barrier' to progress.</p><p>Really? When livestock farmers, and some of their arable neighbours have put their respective hands in their pockets to fund large scale badger control, which has seen incidence drop in England to levels not seen since 2008. </p><p>It isn't as if the powers that be do not know and have peer reviewed, expensively produced evidence of the problem. Both in badgers, deer, cattle and other companion mammals. But they would prefer to keep this gravy train running. Of course they would.</p><p><a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2005/01/2004-most-extraordinary-year.html">In this post,</a> we summarised some of the most salient of the PQs which anchor this site. The answers, recorded for posterity in Hansard, relied on published work done carefully and with no bias, over the previous years. Nothing has changed.<br /></p><p>Badgers are the single most successful host of zTB in this country.</p><p>In just one ml (1ml) of badger urine from an infected critter, some 300 cfu* can be found which can set off a tuberculous lesion in any mammal which ingests or sniffs it. * Colony forming Units.</p><p>Even tiny 'miliary' lesions in badgers are hooching with bacteria, whereas deer and cattle can have huge tuberculous lesions, but very few cfu bacteria to be seen - or shared.</p><p>It has been found that just 1cfu ingested by a calf and 70 by an adult cow, can cause zTB in that animal. And badgers can void up to 30 ml at each incontinent dribble. </p><p><a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2007/06/brock-v-bambi.html">Deer have come into the frame recently, </a> but unless, like the white tailed deer <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2011/09/update-michigan-and-200-bounty.html">in Michigan, USA</a> are encouraged to share cattle feed, then they are not the primary problem. They are a symptom.</p><p>All this was known thirty years ago. And ignored.</p><p>'Social science' was discussed too, with the emphasis offered by Defra's Dr. Ruth Little who suggested that "when it came to zTB, we must move away from a 'paternalistic relationship' idea that Government has complete control. and instead adopt a more 'co-design approach'.</p><p>She added "It is also that wider picture of trust in Government. Farmers need to trust the agency who is delivering on their behalf so they feel some sort of agency (sp?) in dealing with the disease on-farm."</p><p>Having been involved with this subject, often first hand (or particularly first hand) for the last three decades, any mention of 'trust' evaporated long ago. As did what the lady refers to as co-design'. </p><p>It is Defra's responsibility to deal with a grade 3 zoonosis, but they have constantly abdicated that over many years, preferring to play with vaccines, bio security and blame.</p><p>And of course shoot cattle. Many thousands of them too.</p><p><br /></p><p>And having listened to the Covid enquiry's evidence offered by those in whom we are supposed to 'trust', is it any wonder that livestock farmers, under many coshes presently from the Nut Zero brigade, feel that trust in government is the very last thing they have.</p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-65841121963927221852023-12-03T18:24:00.018+00:002023-12-03T18:59:01.362+00:00To cull or not to cull...<p> </p><p>It is some twenty years since we started this blog, using Parliamentary Questions - all 500 of them - as its anchor. The written answers were illuminating, and still valid today.</p><p>A previous boss of Woodchester Park, otherwise known as 'Badger Heaven', Dr. Chris Cheeseman was heard on more than one occasion when asked how to keep badgers away from cattle replied with an elegant shrug "You can't. Get rid of your cattle".</p><p>And this message has been recycled with a Welsh Labour MP, <a href="https://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/news/politics/politicians-bovine-tb-comments-condemned-by-farming-union-650119">Joyce Watson</a> suggesting that farms with persistent TB problems, should find another way to use their farms.</p><p>Pine trees? wild bird seed? Or perhaps greenwash air travel with those unicorn emissions, so beloved of the international jet set, off setting their guilt with carbon credits.</p><p>But Labour are sticking with their policy of non lethal intervention for the carrier of most tuberculosis bacteria in our farmed environment. Although they will happily slaughter cattle, goats alpacas and sheep - they will not harm a hair on a coughing badger's head.</p><p>The 'V' word is still bandied around, and although several wadges of cash have been thrown at vaccination, little has been published except the flaws in its results. </p><p>But after ten years since the pilot badger culls started in England, followed by many areas achieving some good results, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/incidence-of-tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain/quarterly-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain-statistics-notice-june-2023">Defra's statistics to mid 2023</a> show that cattle slaughter figures are down by over 20 per cent in England, while Wales' s problem rumble on particularly heading North and west.</p><p><br /></p><p>The following table shows prevalence of TB (herds not cleared by repeated test / slaughter)</p><p>England showed - 18 per cent overall and - 20 per cent in the High Risk Area, while Wales showed a +68 per cent rise in their low risk area.. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4nY9w9eUSHrvMWeDgXQi4L4bP-QIyqDtoBVuWb0OCXclfSHYnF7kGTpQPux8s1XzI6l8ZzDH_Z4gvCA_ALeEEyllhnRe-m-JXiwVLG5WYesiV62jREToarPd6yji7zvq9dPBurjfW0I1H3X5UxXT25QMYmxJcTgXSyaOLi7fdUmyDfPPuSNr8Q/s1084/2023-12-03%20(1).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="1084" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4nY9w9eUSHrvMWeDgXQi4L4bP-QIyqDtoBVuWb0OCXclfSHYnF7kGTpQPux8s1XzI6l8ZzDH_Z4gvCA_ALeEEyllhnRe-m-JXiwVLG5WYesiV62jREToarPd6yji7zvq9dPBurjfW0I1H3X5UxXT25QMYmxJcTgXSyaOLi7fdUmyDfPPuSNr8Q/w640-h394/2023-12-03%20(1).png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Numbers of cattle slaughtered are similarly heading downwards in England with a 21 per cent drop overall, and the High Risk Area showing - 24 per cent.. Best not mention Wales - west and Low risk.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiMN2AplKBJf87bpIDWXBpEckrAmgN0hxLEHper92QXMXzNRKICs0ivetIZHFArvC3O5TuNXvopsaexZb_G9EH5pcbKlRT9GX0Bgb-DxzRRM6ES4NA6i5M09OPMdtvlgGTwH0TASC5zIVbfByqT7QcABp1T9B37unCCY61PjJVs-EJryC7oXieg/s1142/2023-12-03%20(2).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1142" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiMN2AplKBJf87bpIDWXBpEckrAmgN0hxLEHper92QXMXzNRKICs0ivetIZHFArvC3O5TuNXvopsaexZb_G9EH5pcbKlRT9GX0Bgb-DxzRRM6ES4NA6i5M09OPMdtvlgGTwH0TASC5zIVbfByqT7QcABp1T9B37unCCY61PjJVs-EJryC7oXieg/w640-h421/2023-12-03%20(2).png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p>And despite rumours to the contrary, and a complicated way of presenting statistics, NHI (New Herd Incidents are down in England too. By 16 per cent overall, and -18 per cent in the High Risk Areas.</p><p>Possibly, the farmer led (and paid for culls) are actually having an effect.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMfnzyp50hN75-8wDTp8b4xCJwjSPwmMiseEqO2YsD1qiegsRm6vGyHXzO1JS7B24pMNdwhRCzs_e_HQSH-QcWV7Qqff9cAZTKjo_Ia9g2iVb7oeUJW_MjsvUkl7BWQaTdWzVcM9sBTc_KNNAZQwFV-b-aKqRdnFk46dwaIamhCT4kDgpqrHfkQ/s1110/2023-12-03.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1110" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMfnzyp50hN75-8wDTp8b4xCJwjSPwmMiseEqO2YsD1qiegsRm6vGyHXzO1JS7B24pMNdwhRCzs_e_HQSH-QcWV7Qqff9cAZTKjo_Ia9g2iVb7oeUJW_MjsvUkl7BWQaTdWzVcM9sBTc_KNNAZQwFV-b-aKqRdnFk46dwaIamhCT4kDgpqrHfkQ/w640-h422/2023-12-03.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>As our PQs showed all those years ago, no matter how many <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2005/04/anything-you-can-do.html">cattle measures </a> rain down on livestock farmers, without culling infectious badgers, no progress can be made on eradication of this Grade 3 zoonotic pathogen. And no amount of mathematical gymnastics of x100 years divided by x, y or z, detracts from the fact that every single number is a farm, every cow slaughtered is owned by a farmer and these inconvenient facts can be frequently forgotten. </div><div><br /></div><div>So to the newbies, both in their Parliaments and elsewhere, it's all been done before. And most of the results are logged on this site. <br /></div>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-4619650169460135802023-08-17T20:04:00.027+01:002023-08-17T21:13:33.326+01:00Clarkson, Kaleb and badgers.<p>We have been waiting for the TB balloon to go up, as Jeremy Clarkson let rip into some of the more 'unusual' systems, farmers and in particular livestock farmers, have to endure in his series on Amazon Prime. </p><p>Presently we are subjected to a blizzard of bad publicity, often headed by the farming unions and levy payers' representatives apologising for our very existence. Shoot a cow, plant a tree and sell your carbon credits so that the great and the good can Carry on Partying. Or attending far flung jamborees in pursuit of Net Zero. </p><p>In series 2 of Clarkson's farm, Jeremy met the crazy situation of a fledgling business which had lost <a href="ttps://www.farmersguide.co.uk/rural/charity/nearly-40000-raised-for-tb-stricken-dairy-farmer-on-clarksons-farm/">half its dairy herd </a>. The cause, was definitely badger related. So in typical Clarkson speke, he had the answer:</p><p>"We can shoot them?”</p><p>"No, you can't do that" (shock horror from the farm's agent )</p><p>"I'll run over them with my big tractor"</p><p>"No, that would never do"</p><p>"I'll fumigate their sett then”.</p><p>"Nope. Their ancestral home has a grade 1 listing. You can't do that either."</p><p><br /></p><p>Jeremy very accurately described badgers as 'like teenagers'. Out all night, wreck land and crops, eat his hedgehogs, spread a very serious disease, then come home and sleep all day. And are untouchable.</p><p>The first casualty to cross Jeremy's path was a young dairy farmer, Emma Ledbury, who had just set up a milk vending business. But in this week's Farmers Guardian, the second is young <a href="https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4122192/kaleb-cooper-announces-dairy-cattle-test-bovine">Kaleb Cooper</a> who has invested in 21 dairy cows. </p><p>The farm on which they now reside, has been hit with a TB breakdown, so the merry- go- round of testing and more testing, (of cattle at least) slaughter and stress, goes on. And on. Welcome to our world. </p><p>These two cases are high profile, and Amazon Prime's series with Jeremy heading it is an ideal vehicle to show the crazy, expensive and futile situation which we have endured for more years than we have been scribbling this blog. Which sadly is approaching two decades. </p><p>We have told the stories of <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-end-of-line.html">whole herd slaughter</a> in Staffordshire, and individual <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2006/09/cream-is-new-fern.html">cases of named companion cattle</a> . The end is the same. We shoot the big black and white ones, and ignore the smaller, endemically diseased black and white ones.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSwnxGAY_Vy_pmJCUN_4PJ8dVPysHtULF__hB26n5RFQrgHWwrN5q3UUYGLfYflXlJW0mLCoEwKP8r6R2t6jMqUtC9Sq2s62bi4MnGLRbV74aCdfEe7LngWoJeA9UAGHQrP4_kmYPFcAksa2tAkkVAVtjTovWU17r2mS3G9cUBahc2XJt4O1oKg/s287/dead%20cattle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="287" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSwnxGAY_Vy_pmJCUN_4PJ8dVPysHtULF__hB26n5RFQrgHWwrN5q3UUYGLfYflXlJW0mLCoEwKP8r6R2t6jMqUtC9Sq2s62bi4MnGLRbV74aCdfEe7LngWoJeA9UAGHQrP4_kmYPFcAksa2tAkkVAVtjTovWU17r2mS3G9cUBahc2XJt4O1oKg/s1600/dead%20cattle.jpg" width="287" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-25692280354720193522023-03-23T19:35:00.002+00:002023-03-23T19:42:50.889+00:00A non-binary spoligotype?<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5q4kCB7wNrbGIHaWJTXqT3ztej3JkY97Xs4WTzjKyYEi2V58y82Qj_EeZ8eT01yVWxBngK8-ye3Nte_dVldw8uLFplcKBi5GCJxDbw6kOjOFB-eOT92tg72Dtk0-aaA7VJsRQ_SE-DEEoiMlg8wEi_-svJdGs7D663-yl9FnOaun-NKo2ljQ/s2048/IMG_6497%20rainbow%20badger..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="2048" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5q4kCB7wNrbGIHaWJTXqT3ztej3JkY97Xs4WTzjKyYEi2V58y82Qj_EeZ8eT01yVWxBngK8-ye3Nte_dVldw8uLFplcKBi5GCJxDbw6kOjOFB-eOT92tg72Dtk0-aaA7VJsRQ_SE-DEEoiMlg8wEi_-svJdGs7D663-yl9FnOaun-NKo2ljQ/s320/IMG_6497%20rainbow%20badger..jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>We posted two years ago, the <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/more-on-cat.html">story of an Irish cat</a> which after several years of veterinary treatment, was X rayed and found to have generalised skeletal tuberculosis. The cat was euthanised at seven years old.</p><p>Samples (plural) were taken from this cat, and the strain or spoligotype found to be Danish type 1331, uniquely used in badger vaccines. The paper explains:</p><p></p><blockquote>PCR and the usual culture tests revealed <i>m.bovis</i> But the the
spoligotype was revealed as Danish Strain 1331 used locally in badger
vaccines. After another six months with no improvement, intermittent
lameness and pain - and now a definite diagnosis of z Tuberculosis,
this young cat was euthanised.</blockquote><p></p><p>So, culture tests, PCR etc. and on several bits of this now very dead cat, all showed Danish 1331.</p><p>But roll forward two years and the authors have <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13540">withdrawn</a> their paper, citing their spoligotyping as 'unsafe', thus negating their conclusions.</p><p><span style="color: #1c1d1e;"></span></p><blockquote> "An error in the interpretation of the genomic sequence data and the fact that the isolate was not the BCG strain reported in the manuscript"</blockquote><p></p><p>So what have we got here? A young cat, treated for three years and eventually found to have zoonotic tuberculosis, samples (plural) from which apparently<u> all </u>showed Danish type 1331? A peer reviewed result, and now it's not strain 1331? But no information as to exactly what the strain is. How very 'Irish'.</p><p>So has spoligotyping (DNA matches) become fashionably 'non-binary'? </p><p>DNA is binary. It's either a match or not. Yes or no, but not the milkman, as we were told. Not he/ she/ they/ them or whatever the chosen term is today. </p><p>But the 21st century has turned science on its head, and we now have non binary spoligotypes? Really?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-51997666921743599822022-12-31T17:22:00.001+00:002022-12-31T17:22:42.249+00:00Rural Harmony??????????????????<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHtHwY3jpdiORnSJMhbfQ3MN_vZzIuhu49x3qQ_rRX4PNuAug7Y7l_TOfFjLhvX2TmBe4xd0nMFb_uhM0xL4eNMTvBheh8si8tPLOokdL49N1b7-Ct6UQkC6flCTWOFB6z4StKWsagmrwXVei3QUoAJNsTpeyYrElzt8yIvKJr6Sf9O19Nts/s350/Brian%20may%20%20badger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="350" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHtHwY3jpdiORnSJMhbfQ3MN_vZzIuhu49x3qQ_rRX4PNuAug7Y7l_TOfFjLhvX2TmBe4xd0nMFb_uhM0xL4eNMTvBheh8si8tPLOokdL49N1b7-Ct6UQkC6flCTWOFB6z4StKWsagmrwXVei3QUoAJNsTpeyYrElzt8yIvKJr6Sf9O19Nts/s320/Brian%20may%20%20badger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Today was made even more bizarre with the announcement of a knighthood for a superannuated guitar player with a degree in astro physics. Part of the reason given was 'services to music' - fair enough. But the other reason was his wildlife escapades, and the creation of what was euphemistically described as 'rural harmony'.</p><p>The musician is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-brian-may-celebrity-london-music-34c0ee68e686fc6f268e357b2cd43626">guitar player</a> Dr. Brian May, who hopes that his newly conferred knighthood will give his causes 'more clout'.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Maybe a few more people will listen to me than would otherwise, you
know, if it’s Sir Brian on the phone,” said May, who spoke to The
Associated Press via Zoom from his house in Windlesham, Surrey. </p><p></p></blockquote><p>The report explains:</p><p></p><blockquote>May has campaigned against badger culling and fox hunting through an
animal welfare group he founded in 2010 — named Save Me after the 1980
Queen song. </blockquote><p><br /></p><p>We have explored Dr. May's involvement with all things rural, <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2012/09/save-badger.html">since 2012</a> when that stunning piece of artwork appeared behind him, at a launch of his charity 'Save Me'. But as we said at the time, exactly what is this now ennobled musician (or star gazer) trying to 'save' badgers from? </p><p>Not tuberculosis, as they are an extremely successful host of this Grade 3 zoonosis. Until the disease overwhelms them in a painful and excruciating death. By which time, the bacteria they carry will have been available to any mammal crossing their paths. Territorial scrapping and bite wounding being a common way of introducing <i>micobacterium bovis</i> into the body. As below.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6ShPiHzKTcpyc_pnQBxD3e96k4qFXgYvUJ0HZu7Cy8eQraFNboSiRgD4K4UCCLtV-22LyKMgTsRWxdYylaoFWn_Tnr7TUuIC1saBz75Q58P8SNJ6ZzyGVdT8Qhb5hCcwcZ9YrkjKSay8w6Uzzf0nsBlqwCgadlq4-1BkTn2QYx6oZdVz7qc/s320/Badger%2520TB18%5B1%5D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6ShPiHzKTcpyc_pnQBxD3e96k4qFXgYvUJ0HZu7Cy8eQraFNboSiRgD4K4UCCLtV-22LyKMgTsRWxdYylaoFWn_Tnr7TUuIC1saBz75Q58P8SNJ6ZzyGVdT8Qhb5hCcwcZ9YrkjKSay8w6Uzzf0nsBlqwCgadlq4-1BkTn2QYx6oZdVz7qc/s1600/Badger%2520TB18%5B1%5D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>We believe Dr. May is interested in vaccinating badgers. But that route, despite the hype, was mainly to find out if vaccinating these creatures harmed them. Not <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2017/10/infectivity-of-vaccinated-badgers.html">the efficacy</a> of the procedure and the effect on the shedding of bacteria into the wider environment. For that we had to go to Ireland, where we discovered a <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/more-on-cat.html">domestic cat</a> had been pts after several years of ongoing antibiotics for shoulder and movement problems. </p><p>But the stand out piece from those reports was the strain of zTB that had infected the cat and the length of time it was able to be traced after badgers had been vaccinated.</p><p>The strain was unique. <b>Danish strain 1331</b> used only in badger vaccines. And after vaccination:</p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><p></p><p>Numerous acid-fast bacilli have been found within macrophages at the site of BCG vaccination (subcutaneous route) <b>371 days after administration in badgers</b>,
suggesting the possibility of persistence of BCG within a low
percentage of this vaccinated population (Lesellier et al. 2006)."</p><p></p><p></p></blockquote><p>Finally, we think another much loved country dweller may be less than happy with Dr. May's campaigning. <a href="https://homeandroost.co.uk/blog/do-badgers-eat-hedgehogs/">Hedgehog </a> numbers are in steep decline, while badger numbers are 'booming' as described in the piece on the link.</p><p> But as we have found out, to the great and the good, (and Sir Brian) some animals are more equal than others. A very Happy New Year.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r7OMvlZAarwEu9ZkrJnSx_ofa59H5j4c6eKjaiiUXzMOFbbMCndzhZBLzE65T5oexyaQKITWMLw_3ybhewl51yTUKS_D9WYoS5qJXokskXqhp6HldgjhKClBhVNBmjS6i6yIn8knQKbap8_flHFFqkNQ6XjzFY0JdcFi0RHuWaxatyPeUjQ/s252/toasting.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="200" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r7OMvlZAarwEu9ZkrJnSx_ofa59H5j4c6eKjaiiUXzMOFbbMCndzhZBLzE65T5oexyaQKITWMLw_3ybhewl51yTUKS_D9WYoS5qJXokskXqhp6HldgjhKClBhVNBmjS6i6yIn8knQKbap8_flHFFqkNQ6XjzFY0JdcFi0RHuWaxatyPeUjQ/s1600/toasting.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><blockquote> </blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-88065803148378092432022-10-08T18:13:00.000+01:002022-10-08T18:13:37.254+01:00They get there in the end<p> </p><p>Following on from our <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2022/09/we-are-not-surprised.html">last posting</a>, which reported a significant drop of 20 per cent in cattle slaughterings, this week's press is reporting another bit of good news for long suffering cattle farmers.</p><p>Now that Doris has taken his wife out of the cabinet office, and a new broom has cleared the green blob from Defra, at last a bit of common sense is surfacing.</p><p><a href="https://www.fginsight.com/news/farming-minister-hints-at-rethink-on-badger-cull-phase-out-131070?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=Read%20more%20%3E%3E%3E&utm_campaign=Most%20Popular%3A%2007%2F10%2F2022%20%23078">Farmers Guardian</a> headline indicates a Ministerial 'rethink on ending culling'.</p><p>If you remember, George Eustice was quoted widely as saying 'we can't keep shooting badgers indefinitely'. Obviously his opinion didn't extend to slaughtering our sentinel tested cattle indefinitely and in greater numbers. But let that pass.</p><p>Now freed of the influence of a couple of Goldsmiths, a Minister who was a supporter of the CAWF (Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation) and led by Doris's vegetarian wife, a bit of common sense has emerged. From new minister Mark Spencer, MP:</p><div class="aos-MBS3"><div class="aos-DS56-WYSEdit"> <p></p><blockquote><p>In an exclusive interview with <em>Farmers Guardian,</em> Mr Spencer said it was ‘wrong’ to set a fixed date to end badger culls, without taking into account epidemiological need.</p>
<p>Last year, Defra confirmed the licensing of new intensive culls would
end after 2022, following a personal intervention from then Prime
Minister Boris Johnson.</p>
<p>It was widely rumoured that Mr Johnson’s wife, Carrie, influenced the decision, which caused outrage in farming circles.</p></blockquote><p></p>
<p> Mr Spencer said: “We all want to stop shooting badgers and the way to stop shooting badgers is to eradicate TB.</p><p>In the report Mr. Spencer also points out:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>“I think we need to follow the science here and look at what actually
works. I am afraid you come to the conclusion that vaccination in areas
around where TB is spreading to, with a cull in the middle of that area
where it is very intensive, is probably the most practical way of
dealing with TB."</p></blockquote><p>And the way to find out if a hotspot is developing, with cattle as the sentinels of the problem, and herds nailed to the proverbial under restriction, is to use those details from the Risk Assessment which every new breakdown has from a member of APHA. </p><p>If a new breakdown herd has had no bought in cattle since the herd's last clear test, and no cattle contact, it's 'Houston 'we have a problem'.</p><p>All that information should used, not filed to gather dust. </p><p>You know it makes sense.</p><p>Mr Spencer concludes:</p><blockquote><p>“The only way other countries have eradicated TB is to get (rid of) that
sponge of TB in the natural population and unfortunately, badgers are
part of that problem.</p></blockquote><p>Quite.</p> </div></div><div class="aos-Article-RelatedContent aos-FL100"><hr class="aos-FL100 aos-M0 aos-DS56-HDivider" /><h3 class="aos-DS56-H3 aos-MT20px aos-MB10px aos-FL100"><br /></h3><div class="aos-Article-RelArticle aos-FL aos-W100 aos-MB20px"><a href="https://www.fginsight.com/news/news/call-for-rethink-on-badger-cull-130814"> <img alt="Call for rethink on badger cull" class="aos-Image aos-FL aos-W25 aos-PRS3" loading="lazy" src="https://bmcontent.affino.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/012/BadgerbovineTBbTB6_Main.jpg" title="Call for rethink on badger cull" /></a></div></div>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-19518108808725894302022-09-24T09:25:00.002+01:002022-09-24T19:32:50.671+01:00We are not surprised<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09FZuu1Y6FjNkCKX3e3UfL6XSmGsFfdWhVufmouYlY4vu1fYyjEr1XsR_ZbLij-kpNG8SV7zLMEf8rsIOnsIpID5bjZSjlxy5uTtDhZIOMyvG9yVIBAOc-bWEdi1QCSBiztQIX3nmaNJoTOLr8TDf-rSj2mKTygcJsoRKbPqwMOjlBIeYyNQ/s2048/2011_0604cattle20110071.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09FZuu1Y6FjNkCKX3e3UfL6XSmGsFfdWhVufmouYlY4vu1fYyjEr1XsR_ZbLij-kpNG8SV7zLMEf8rsIOnsIpID5bjZSjlxy5uTtDhZIOMyvG9yVIBAOc-bWEdi1QCSBiztQIX3nmaNJoTOLr8TDf-rSj2mKTygcJsoRKbPqwMOjlBIeYyNQ/w400-h300/2011_0604cattle20110071.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The farming press have reported this week that cattle slaughtered in England have dropped by 20 per cent. Similar drops have been reported in Wales and Scotland.</p><p>Farmers Guardian took the <a href="https://www.fginsight.com/news/call-for-rethink-on-badger-cull-130814">front page slot</a> with the headline addressed to the new PM, 'Call for a Rethink on Badger cull' and long piece including new <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain">Defra stats</a>, from June 2021 - July 2022.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>The push follows the publication of new Defra figures which reveal
between July 2021 and June 2022, a total of 24,398 animals have been
slaughtered in England, a drop of 20 per cent, while in Wales the number
was 9,713, a decrease of 16 per cent. </p><p>
</p><p> </p></blockquote><p></p><p>The phrase, previously parroted by the now culled Secretary of state, George Eustice MP was sold as 'We can't keep culling badgers indefinitely' : his political masters telling him that culling tuberculous badgers could and should be replaced by vaccinations. Farmers Guardian piece continues:</p><p></p><blockquote>The recent phase out of badger culling in England was widely reported to
have been introduced after a personal intervention from former PM Boris
Johnson and his wife, Carrie. </blockquote><p></p><p> But this mantra goes beyond the fragrant Carrie and the then PM, her bed mate, Boris. Defra was infiltrated by a claque of badgerists, led by a Goldsmith, who having lost his seat as an MP was parachuted into position at Defra. And not to count beavers or stack paper clips. Zac Goldsmith has form, being part of the Bow group, which as far back as 2012 was proposing vaccinating badgers as opposed to any sort of cull for a highly infectious, zoonotic disease. Except sentinel tested cattle of course.</p><p>Also involved in the plan was former minister at Defra, Theresa Villiers. All were members of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200805071451/https://www.conservativeanimalwelfarefoundation.org/7834-2/">Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation </a> together with Johnson's father (Stanley) and few more well placed movers and shakers, happily dismantling common sense in general and livestock farming in particular. </p><p>Number 22 of 30 on this published CAWF wish list read as follows:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>22. Introduce a national badger vaccination scheme instead of badger
culling. End the culling of a protected species which scientists have
urged makes no meaningful contribution to the control of Bovine TB in
cattle.</p></blockquote><p>Now our readers will remember no doubt the utterings of 'scientists' who uttered those words. And they may also remember our <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2007/09/this-is-answer.html">2007 posting</a> which gave the context of John Bourne's boast to the EFRA committee, of the political steer his group had received to trash a supposedly independent 'trial'.</p><p>Not that any such trial was ever needed, as many badger clearances in the years following the TB eradication sweeps of the mid 1960s had all given similar results, with Thornbury, Glos the most successful. We asked why this should be. And the PQ written answer was unequivocal.</p><blockquote> The fundamental difference between the Thornbury area and
other areas [] where bovine tuberculosis was a problem, was the
systematic removal of badgers from the Thornbury area. No other species
was similarly removed. No other contemporaneous change was identified
that could have accounted for the reduction in TB incidence within the
area" [157949] </blockquote><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCn6mc0woCPLcm6xLpGML143n-nJ1aHkbkTF9OVNlwJRsCj72qp8C-WGQ0plt_ml_c9PyYF7iBxSvrFZvi_0jGvnWxj4LhqZrwxv6H7oUo5O--Dy7YTMNgcR1b2682u_1oob8MjJ_stebflIrjE3pdbeocX4M-PzOoBZIRpY5TZnO1pR4904/s1006/2018-01-09%20(7).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1006" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCn6mc0woCPLcm6xLpGML143n-nJ1aHkbkTF9OVNlwJRsCj72qp8C-WGQ0plt_ml_c9PyYF7iBxSvrFZvi_0jGvnWxj4LhqZrwxv6H7oUo5O--Dy7YTMNgcR1b2682u_1oob8MjJ_stebflIrjE3pdbeocX4M-PzOoBZIRpY5TZnO1pR4904/w400-h320/2018-01-09%20(7).png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>So as the new team at Defra take on the 'green blob' we wish them well. They would also be advised to research badger vaccination - thoroughly. As we have done. <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2014/09/contradictions.html">This posting from 2014</a> gives a fair overview. And please do not forget <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/more-on-cat.html">that dead cat.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4f08o78i3KBfHoHa-d5LSt94ws5tkClp5uksEPv3vowxOZNiQLxDHJ2lO56fRCKCnHfF37j9nsLtSSsgRxQa2EA5qZAWFJ8oOlwDL5THj-529T-Q34m98T5bc4NbI7LQg4ODH4zZwIxQDeSTf3bZdYuafXcA1i34khg9c7UyQu8_ogoqwPlw/s2048/FG%20Main%2020th%20Mar%2009332.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4f08o78i3KBfHoHa-d5LSt94ws5tkClp5uksEPv3vowxOZNiQLxDHJ2lO56fRCKCnHfF37j9nsLtSSsgRxQa2EA5qZAWFJ8oOlwDL5THj-529T-Q34m98T5bc4NbI7LQg4ODH4zZwIxQDeSTf3bZdYuafXcA1i34khg9c7UyQu8_ogoqwPlw/w400-h288/FG%20Main%2020th%20Mar%2009332.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>(Cartoon originally shown with permission of the late Ken Wignall, after publication in Farmers Guardian)<br /><p>Our industry deserves far better than the <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/06/creative-inertia.html">creative inertia</a> which has battered it for the last several decades. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-47044756443760946952022-08-03T10:08:00.003+01:002022-08-03T14:58:20.343+01:00'World leading' - at something<p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Defra, Victoria Prentis is quoted recently as describing the Department's plans for biosecurity as a 'top priority' to protect consumers, and reassure trading partners of UK standards of animal and plant health.</p><p>She said:</p><blockquote cite="mid:90A2C0D180D040ECAB57E4CEB9C36FD7@PatQuinnTHINK" type="cite">
<div class="debate-speech__content">
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Biosecurity remains a top priority for the
Government, not only to protect consumers, but also to ensure that trading
partners and industry have strong assurance of the UK's standards of food
safety, animal and plant health.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On 16 February 2022, the Government also
announced the allocation of £200 million for a programme of investment into
world-leading research facilities to boost the UK’s fight against zoonotic
diseases, including avian flu and <span class="hi">bovine tuberculosis</span>. The
money will be spent on a state-of-the-art revamp of the <a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow">Animal and Plant Health Agency</a> (<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow">APHA</a>)
scientific laboratories at Weybridge – enhancing the UK’s already world-leading
scientific and veterinary capability.</span></p></div>
</blockquote><br /><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> Those <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/200-million-investment-to-fight-zoonotic-diseases">'world leading'</a> <a href="world leading facilities" target="_blank"> </a>facilities will of course match our <a href="https://www.visavet.es/bovinetuberculosis/bovine-tb/eradication.php">world leading </a> (or at least European) statistics' in the incidence of zoonotic Tuberculosis in our oft tested cattle. </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86k5NaXqVOaqq05vz_6YK51g6IKSDugZCFOFUgxIgJs2L88kOVE1oHsISKLE2FQ3A8tEGIpcsJEmrZCOwN9j5-iYqFRremnb_qQOltsXqKXlvg2wy353OgPFqE0EpppPTnLPdFTN7tlHRVHSjGUcmiemr0M-kteL-ahLWc3fo6rHzrTKeYHM/s606/eradication-figure1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="606" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86k5NaXqVOaqq05vz_6YK51g6IKSDugZCFOFUgxIgJs2L88kOVE1oHsISKLE2FQ3A8tEGIpcsJEmrZCOwN9j5-iYqFRremnb_qQOltsXqKXlvg2wy353OgPFqE0EpppPTnLPdFTN7tlHRVHSjGUcmiemr0M-kteL-ahLWc3fo6rHzrTKeYHM/s320/eradication-figure1.png" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">An extract from that paper explains:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal">During 2019, the overall EU proportion of cattle herds infected with,
or positive for, TB remained very low (0.8%, which was 16,420 out of
1,961,990 herds). </p><p class="MsoNormal">Fourteen MS reported no case of TB in cattle
(Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and
Sweden). </p><p class="MsoNormal"> TB in bovine animals was reported by 14 MS and was
heterogeneous and much spatially clustered with herd prevalence ranging
from <b>absence to 11.7% within the United Kingdom in England</b>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal">At least we are 'world leading' at something.</p>So as imports pour into our increasingly forested, re-wilded and concreted country, via hastily concocted trade deals from areas of the world where 'standards' are debateable and exotic diseases rife, Ms Prentis’s world leading facility will certainly be needed in the future.<p></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-12564610377432146612022-07-21T15:24:00.003+01:002022-07-23T17:16:44.579+01:00Ever decreasing circles<p><br /></p><p>We have not posted anything on this site for six months, mainly because what we are seeing and hearing, reading and growling over is repeated guff. Rinse and repeat, <i>ad infinitum. </i>Hence the headline - Ever<i> </i>decreasing circles.</p><p>Even this week, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/20/experts-call-for-stop-to-badger-cull-as-link-to-bovine-tb-is-contested">the Guardian</a> has the headline, 'Badger culls do not prevent cattle TB'. Really?</p><p>Of course what they should have said was half hearted political culls, reduce, but do not clear zoonotic TB from cattle. Historic data shows the effects of a cull in graphic detail:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxOH4oMVtL8cjvaZkDBfl_h2so7H9eIGCWvOcEHbfkVe699ofO0pbTjOksccy7b3wnATc70cxAqW52zzLlYvLpC9_mwL9MawLfAHddaw-kvJtya49cah8h5wF2KfZkazYgxneTiKdGd4PNtpJ82tmQTFoCDh6OmJbizv6HXRLLQdq83RC01k/s640/2018-01-09%20(7).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="640" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxOH4oMVtL8cjvaZkDBfl_h2so7H9eIGCWvOcEHbfkVe699ofO0pbTjOksccy7b3wnATc70cxAqW52zzLlYvLpC9_mwL9MawLfAHddaw-kvJtya49cah8h5wF2KfZkazYgxneTiKdGd4PNtpJ82tmQTFoCDh6OmJbizv6HXRLLQdq83RC01k/s320/2018-01-09%20(7).png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>And our Parliamentary Questions, almost two decades ago gave an unequivocal answer to the question, just why was Thornbury so successful?</p><p><em></em></p><blockquote><p><em>"The fundamental difference between the Thornbury area and other
areas in south west England, where bovine tuberculosis was a problem was
the systematic removal of badgers from the Thornbury area. No other
species was removed. No other contemporaneous change was identified that
could have accounted for the reduction in TB incidence within the
area."</em> [157949] <em>24th March 2004. Col. 824W </em> <br /></p><p></p></blockquote><p>'Reduction' is a huge understatement there, because NO cases of TB in cattle were found in at least a decade after the badger clearance.</p><p>The RBCT, on which the current culls were based, was a shambles. And never expected to deliver anything other than that which its political masters intended. And its master in chief, one Professor John Bourne said <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2007/09/this-is-answer.html">exactly that</a> to the Efra Committee in 2007, with what was described as a 'smirk' on his face. </p><p>Taking out 70 per cent of badgers, from 70 per cent of disparate patches of land, some with 'No Entry' signs, was never going to be the whole and complete solution. But it survived Judicial Reviews and farmers put their collective hands in pockets and after a couple of pilot schemes, the cull areas were off. It has been observed that with hard boundaries of for example, the coast, or indeed another cull area, success was increased substantially. </p><p>Management of a TB infected wildlife population cannot be abandoned when it affects our cattle and many other mammals. Our industry has invested too much in the face of misplaced anthropomorphic sentimentalism and unchallenged, downright lies.</p><p>Even now, our current Secretary of State, the echo chamber that is George Eustice is prattling on about vaccinating badgers. Why? His own department has spent <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2019/03/new-year-new-lies.html">oodles of taxpayer's money </a> doing just that and found it has had no effect of cattle TB whatsoever. (That link also has reference to the Brunton report, which logs impressive data from the cull areas.)</p><p>But we digress. The exudate from a vaccinated badger, a unique Danish strain of <i>m.bovis</i>, only used in badger vaccines, and available for over 300 days after administration, has <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/more-on-cat.html">killed</a> at least one cat. </p><p>To re-phrase that, one cat that has been examined, its TB riddled body pm'd, lesions spoligotyped and papers written up and published. There may be more.</p><p>And so the circles continue. We wrote in 2006 about Bronze Age <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2007/10/dem-bones-dem-bones-dem-dry-bones.html">burial mound </a> at Brownslade, Pembrokeshire, being excavated. And again in 2016 similar<a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2016/09/sacrilege.html"> sacrilege</a> inflicted on a graveyard. Now the same thing is happening <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/07/21/grave-robbing-badgers-leave-trail-human-bones-pensioners-garden/">in Dudley, </a> where an 88 year old pensioner is finding human bones, including skulls, gathered from a nearby graveyard, scattered across her garden, the Telegraph reports. </p><p>This overgrown rat, with a white stripe down its face has acquired more 'rights' than the rest of us put together. Unwelcome, but untouchable. Unmoveable. </p><p>While researching this catch up posting, I came across a piece we published last year, comparing this country to a <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/08/follow-money.html">banana republic</a> and if you follow the money trail of repeated 'research', obfuscation and downright lies told by successive administrations concerning zoonotic tuberculosis, now hanging on the coat tails of climate change, (kill a cow - fly a plane?) the conclusion can only be that we are there. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7q91CZkdKC6SB4Z-FGj5yv013mZjKkrkNNTXuJDf67frAQ2yjC0d7NfbHaP_thWKQiGDu9kI3RhhrB_1YRi8mpl2KQWk66VxpmmK4cL6F0VQvRi7mkNLhZfDuBjmAs82ctq_SFO1OfzSueX7odo1O8yJLi4Qq9d4ocaHzXaAXkZ1jz3Y7t1w/s259/index%20bananas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7q91CZkdKC6SB4Z-FGj5yv013mZjKkrkNNTXuJDf67frAQ2yjC0d7NfbHaP_thWKQiGDu9kI3RhhrB_1YRi8mpl2KQWk66VxpmmK4cL6F0VQvRi7mkNLhZfDuBjmAs82ctq_SFO1OfzSueX7odo1O8yJLi4Qq9d4ocaHzXaAXkZ1jz3Y7t1w/s1600/index%20bananas.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><p>Enjoy.</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-15613047739009942802021-12-10T09:57:00.001+00:002021-12-10T09:57:30.902+00:00APHA - results of cultures for alpaca Geronimo<p><br /></p><p> Today, Apha have <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/culture-results-for-geronimo-the-alpaca">published the culture results</a> for the alpaca at the centre of a three year stand off after several positive Enferplex TB tests.</p><p>We have covered the story of 'Geronimo' in <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/08/end-of-road.html">several posts</a> which started with this one <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2018/08/another-high-profile-casualty.html">in 2018</a> </p><p><br /></p><p>Apha (Animal and Plant Health Agency) explain in today's press release that:</p><blockquote><p>"In September, APHA specialist vets completed an initial post-mortem
examination of the animal, which revealed the presence of TB-like
lesions. These have since been undergoing further testing to determine
the source of infection.</p>
<p>APHA has today confirmed that it was not possible to culture bacteria
from tissue samples taken at post-mortem examination, meaning that it
will not be possible to carry out Whole Genome Sequencing in order to
try to understand how the alpaca caught the disease. This does not mean
the animal was free of bTB infection because it had previously twice
tested positive using highly specific, validated and reliable tests." </p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-eDZmd7nMS3VSftEJ25MG18NpbRvDxwxhrY7rHQR_vlSzwafMY01Yyy-UfPFcXMkHRI9t3vkD8uZSZxYPGZQ3hjLILCIbc4QZljwv30_Jg3u7S_2_sIM6OTtaS_Ga3MbWF13ZYXftqQKL1IfV3gD1dLcnASQXViKy8nSQddS-VosXf4rc9Jw=s300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-eDZmd7nMS3VSftEJ25MG18NpbRvDxwxhrY7rHQR_vlSzwafMY01Yyy-UfPFcXMkHRI9t3vkD8uZSZxYPGZQ3hjLILCIbc4QZljwv30_Jg3u7S_2_sIM6OTtaS_Ga3MbWF13ZYXftqQKL1IfV3gD1dLcnASQXViKy8nSQddS-VosXf4rc9Jw" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-48772206102124924972021-11-18T18:49:00.030+00:002021-11-18T19:34:44.699+00:00Clarkson v. badgers - Senseless diatribe.<p>It was only a matter of time before the hilarious antics of Jeremy Clarkson, while trying out new toys on 'Clarkson's Farm', came head to head with badgers, and in particular their arch protectors, the Badger Trust.</p><p>And sure enough in this week's <a href="https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/charity-calls-out-jeremy-clarkson-for-shocking-misunderstanding-of-cattle-disease/">Agriland press</a> the Trust are in full spate. Amongst the adjectives are 'offensive diatribe' which the trust ascribes to Mr. Clarkson. But the mention of 'senseless slaughter' and their <b>bold </b>description of <b>Bovine</b> TB as a cattle based disease, does the Trust no favours; it is infantile and inaccurate prattling. </p><p>Neither does their total denial, despite all the evidence since the 1970s of the complete reverse, (much of it recorded on this site) that in the UK, badgers are a primary reservoir of this zoonotic disease feeding back into our tested sentinel cattle.</p><p>The letter maintains: </p><p></p><blockquote><p>"Badger Trust, as the voice for badgers in England and Wales, is pushing
back at yet another attempt to make badgers the scapegoats for bovine
TB, even though 94% of cattle infections are from cow to cow. </p><p></p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><p>You blame badgers for the spread of ‘TB’ (it’s bTB – <strong>bovine</strong> tuberculosis, a respiratory disease mainly affecting cattle),” the letter added. </p><p></p></blockquote><p>This infantile, and wholly inaccurate response will no doubt rattle a few Trust collecting tins. But it won't stop the reality of infected and infectious tuberculous badgers, upspilling this disease into any mammal that has the misfortune to cross their path. </p><p>And it won't stop them dying a prolonged and miserable death from tuberculosis, long after they've infected their cubs and other mammals. The Badger Trust, holding hands with the RSPCA describe this process as ' a slight wheeziness'. The reality is the animal they say they want to protect', is drowning in its own infected body fluids, and slowly starving, as the emaciated carcase below shows. </p><p>This site has been explaining, very patiently, the history of the eradication of zoonotic tuberculosis in the UK, and other countries, for almost two decades. The 500 parliamentary questions which support it give many answers which may upset the Badger Trust, but which nevertheless are a window of truth into some very delving questions. Read and understand please, before committing your ignorance to paper. </p><p>Until then would this infantile prattle has no credibility. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXluWm1B4mzyHAPehyRK1TFkJUvz6_DyHCTfKzOgJc8m6VY2lTHMJKsXw3kJ8F1MqHAdBDmG5b65NSUVOR5Kazq00itRaFDwE2tYC8QU6zfzaxbT2zTovpsnzR7y-kjwxSPs939A/s1456/badger+lungs+-+TB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1456" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXluWm1B4mzyHAPehyRK1TFkJUvz6_DyHCTfKzOgJc8m6VY2lTHMJKsXw3kJ8F1MqHAdBDmG5b65NSUVOR5Kazq00itRaFDwE2tYC8QU6zfzaxbT2zTovpsnzR7y-kjwxSPs939A/s320/badger+lungs+-+TB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Meanwhile, someone needs a reality check, and that is not Jeremy Clarkson.</p><p> </p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-45474146150940040332021-09-08T21:25:00.008+01:002021-09-09T19:08:13.166+01:00TB or not TB ?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyS4A2v9bWzzUwejUVUcNb3HQnfBa5UZPygL3p3Q27B7-UaYVKMh1_ZKVTso8i3jGqQuvPHFWoXjhPoxg-qAmsG4xkY33WjvFJkebb5H9CBMS2x_-HwFP6EMeDmpOrVAADbTP8A/s2048/Alpaca+TB2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyS4A2v9bWzzUwejUVUcNb3HQnfBa5UZPygL3p3Q27B7-UaYVKMh1_ZKVTso8i3jGqQuvPHFWoXjhPoxg-qAmsG4xkY33WjvFJkebb5H9CBMS2x_-HwFP6EMeDmpOrVAADbTP8A/s320/Alpaca+TB2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>A very strange report today. Geronimo, the black alpaca for four years living on very borrowed time, after not one but two positive Enferplex TB tests, has his post-mortem results. </p><p>At 1 o’clock, the BBC reported no visible lesions were found, this headline news illustrated by a screaming crowd outside Defra headquarters, howling for blood. The source of the report is not known.</p><p>But an hour later, the <a href="https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/post-mortem-exam-results-on-geronimo-confirm-tb-like-lesions/">Chief veterinary officer</a> Christine Middlemass reported by Agriland.ie and <a href="https://www.farminguk.com/news/geronimo-the-alpaca-fresh-row-erupts-over-post-mortem-results_58913.html">here </a>indicated that pathologists had in fact found suspect lesions in this animal’s liver (see pm pic of alpaca liver above) and some lymph glands. And that, as is usual, further testing would be carried out. </p><p>This involves culturing samples to identify acid fast bacteria, and if appropriate, the spoligotype of <i>m.bovis</i> responsible. </p><p>This is normal procedure after a post mortem where TB is suspected. It takes several weeks.</p><p>As farmers, some of whom have had the dubious pleasure of presenting reactor cattle to Defra’s mincing machine, we are unanimously appalled at the treatment this animal had during his last hours. </p><p>It is usual under many circumstances including this one, that the animal is put down quietly on the farm. But that dignity and respect was not afforded to Geronimo, and we understand that that was the choice of Helen MacDonald, his owner. A media circus was what she wanted.</p><p>So having courted the press, in his company, haltered and calm for weeks, Geronimo’s owner abandoned him to a mob of ‘protectors’ and police, while booted and suited vets attempted to catch him. All strangers. The ministry vets then had to identify him, ‘isolated’ with four more black alpacas, then halter him with an ill fitting cattle halter and drag him to a padded horse box through a mob.</p><p> And his owner? Skulking away from the cameras. Leaving this animal for others to cope with. Appalling. Absolutely appalling. </p><p>Personally, we would have corralled the press mob and the so called supporters and insisted the owner present this alpaca in a calm and secure way. The circus we saw was for the media and certainly not for the welfare of this animal. </p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-56113975640332725092021-08-06T09:24:00.002+01:002021-08-06T19:51:30.428+01:00End of the road?<p> </p><p>We wrote of a black alpaca called <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2018/08/another-high-profile-casualty.html">Geronimo</a> in a posting in 2018.</p><p>Imported from New Zealand, into a UK TB hotspot, the animal subsequently tested positive for the disease and Defra's death notice was served.</p><p>After almost four years, some big money spent and several court appeals later, the animal is still alive and is due for <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15792144/geronimo-owner-fights-for-his-survival/">destruction</a> this week. </p><p>The Sun, carrying the story on the link above, now puts the animal's owner in the firing line, as she has vowed 'to take the bullet' meant for her alpaca. </p><p>It's probably worth mentioning that the number of cattle subject to Deathrow's paperwork in those four years, has exceeded 40,000 in each of the last three years. A peak in 2018, can be <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/892583/bovinetb-statsnotice-Q4-quarterly-11mar20.pdf">viewed on this link</a> when 44,654 animals were compulsorily slaughtered after failing either the skin test or the notorious gamma ifn blood test. A cumulative total of 130,113 cattle were condemned 2018 - 2020.</p><p>We also discovered some years ago that Defra were <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2013/12/george-meets-eddy.html">massaging </a> figures for camelid casualties of the zoonotic tuberculosis epidemic, now entrenched in the wildlife of GB. While individual cattle deaths were recorded, with alpacas, numbers published were restricted to a single group or herd. And even included herds which had had contact or were 'tethered' to the initial outbreak. </p><p>We have been unable to ascertain whether this is still the case. </p><p>But this is what tuberculosis in an infected alpaca looks like at post mortem.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBfLWJxzpom8LUkc4lDeQgGCY3XIt-zL2RKruJfWDrrcZ8VsjF3A7USuStM8ZR7nrTB1hMT9FtvokFlLjXAb46Uvs9SOqc_z04y6dxpJOK4YtTzOBU9JPs1Yr8G2QlyoHfx6ENw/s2048/Alpaca+TB5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBfLWJxzpom8LUkc4lDeQgGCY3XIt-zL2RKruJfWDrrcZ8VsjF3A7USuStM8ZR7nrTB1hMT9FtvokFlLjXAb46Uvs9SOqc_z04y6dxpJOK4YtTzOBU9JPs1Yr8G2QlyoHfx6ENw/s320/Alpaca+TB5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Edit update:</p><p>There is of course another ante mortem test for camelids, one which many people will now be familiar with after 17 months of covid. And that is PCR. (Geronimo's owner is criticising the test, we understand)</p><p>In 2013, it was pretty obvious that trying to shoe-horn other mammals into the bovine test scenario was not going to work, and the owners of alpacas were particularly hard hit. So a group decided to self fund a <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2014/02/pcr-will-find-it.html">Proof of Concept </a> study into whether PCR would be a more <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2012/08/someone-else-deserves-gold-medal.html">appropriate test </a> for these animals.</p><p>It worked, just as the PCR test for <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2012/11/this-is-encouraging.html">infected badgers </a> worked, when Owen Paterson's department threw £742,000 to Liz Wellington at Warwick University to develop her test to identify infected badger setts.</p><p>Sadly for reasons known only to themselves, neither test was accepted by the British Alpaca Society or Defra whose single collective brain cell is still in denial for camelids and badgers - if not for cattle..</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-25035394015826408252021-08-01T19:41:00.000+01:002021-08-01T19:41:07.091+01:00Follow the money<p> </p><p>We've pondered long and hard while scribbling this blog, about how genuine 'science' as practised decades ago, can be at best ignored and worse, denigrated and made the subject of derision. As is anyone who dares to question the current mantra of kill cattle, cattle cattle - and vaccinate badgers.</p><p>We've seen consultation after consultation, all skewed towards preordained conclusions, even to the extent of our current Secretary of State <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/boris-i-will-follow-data.html">announcing the result </a>, ahead of reading the replies. And we've read the Hansard reports of the RBCT debacle, where it's <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2007/09/this-is-answer.html">chief wizard </a> declared with some pride, that his trial had to reach a preconceived and totally political, conclusion. </p><p>Follow the data? Our co editor, taking a lead from the <a href="https://www.turbulenttimes.co.uk/news/front-page/politics-bought-and-paid-for/">Financial Times, </a> together with his own research, has a tale which makes the 2015 'cash for questions' scandal look like 'Listen with mother'. </p><p>Cash up front will get you ringside seat with anyone from the Prime Minister down, and including HRH Prince Charles, whose nephew, Ben Elliot (by his marriage to Camilla) runs this seedy set up.</p><p>Anyone who stumps up £250,000 can have a seat within the inner sanctum, known as the 'Advisory Board' and is guaranteed access to Boris Johnson, chancellor Sunak and others. Failed MP, now in the Lords and parachuted into Defra, Zac Goldsmith is also mentioned in dispatches.</p><p> So after 538 Parliamentary Questions, 17 years of gathering research on policies which worked to eradicate zoonotic Tuberculosis and more importantly, those which did not, we have a government bought and paid for. A government which wants to leave a reservoir of this zoonotic disease in wildlife, kill more cattle and vaccinate any badger which happens to enter a peanut laced cage, despite the published evidence of <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/more-on-cat.html">a very dead cat,</a> carrying the same unique genotype of zTB found in badger vaccines. </p><p>And we in the UK dare to criticise the corruption of other country's governments? Really? </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0-8TLnleJpKza5SNmudsBBmHoppW-vcT1DpmrNbaMExdHSoO0dJewLAHSfU3D06nbI9wd-KHrXKrCvFW_C1yn2yfH08VwersQOyd4vNl-LqPKccgVL3wwpI1w1a7vNala0kjZQ/s259/index+bananas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0-8TLnleJpKza5SNmudsBBmHoppW-vcT1DpmrNbaMExdHSoO0dJewLAHSfU3D06nbI9wd-KHrXKrCvFW_C1yn2yfH08VwersQOyd4vNl-LqPKccgVL3wwpI1w1a7vNala0kjZQ/s0/index+bananas.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><p>A 'banana republic' is described as one where a government functions poorly for its citizens while disproportionately benefitting a corrupt and elite group group or individual. </p><p>As we said, follow the money.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-36883773424150761492021-06-27T19:23:00.002+01:002021-06-27T19:32:59.280+01:00Creative Inertia<p> 'Creative inertia' was a phrase used in a TV sit-com a few years ago, where the civil servants guided their minister through his duties. Or not as the case may be. The resultant circular tour was known as 'creative inertia' where things appeared to be proceeding - but were not. In fact they were going backwards at an alarming rate, or at best, staying the same.</p><p>And so we come to the subject of this blog. And a reminder - if that was ever needed - that this country's low point in disease eradication came in 1986. In that year GB reported less than 100 herds with breakdowns, and 638 cattle <a href="http://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2005/02/20-years-of-tb-stats.html" target="”_blank”">were slaughtered.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWQec-JClU7_bQdoplTN3aFS9pzigEiVcGdIzci4RnzHOCgNzsi3grUBOfwX0Nf2ErlI9IvrGIuqe1rWvWxxQ-mmR9qswLbr21-fuYRzZ7SFTxbz0SJL4n00YfyurT32RNBVUGA/s315/Breakdowns-1986.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWQec-JClU7_bQdoplTN3aFS9pzigEiVcGdIzci4RnzHOCgNzsi3grUBOfwX0Nf2ErlI9IvrGIuqe1rWvWxxQ-mmR9qswLbr21-fuYRzZ7SFTxbz0SJL4n00YfyurT32RNBVUGA/s0/Breakdowns-1986.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p>Fast forward over many dilutions of Ministerial badger policy - none of them of any benefit to cattle - and we arrive at today's total shambles. New TBagger groups, all searching for an instant solution, and failing to look over their collective shoulders to what had been tried and failed, many times before.</p><p> We've explored these in detail in past postings, but they do bear repeating - if only to remind the newbies that the result of their direction of travel will be more dead cattle, and very little else. </p><p>After the TB eradication sweeps in the late 50s and 60s, a couple of persistent blots on MAFF's landscape spoilt an otherwise clean sheet. A fierce <a href="http://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2007/07/condemned-to-repeat-past-mistakes.html">Scotsman, William Tait</a> was sent to Cornwall to clean up that patch. His efforts. brutal though they were (on cattle herds) failed to stem the tide of TB but his steam cleaning of the old Cornish cob barns was responsible for not a few collapses.</p><p>It wasn't until Roger Muirhead from Gloucestershire, in 1971 made a positive link to TB infected badgers, and started clearing infected groups from persistently infected farms, that the maps took on a different hue, and reactor numbers dropped.</p><p>In Ireland, almost two decades later <a href="http://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2005/04/anything-you-can-do.html">Liam Downie</a> following a similar political badger love-in, applied the same cattle measures, and he too failed to reduce the number of reactors. In fact, because he was searching so diligently, numbers went up. </p><p>And in 2004/5, the diminutive leader of the English badger dispersal trial, the RBCT, ( Professor John Bourne) constructed a politically led manifesto to repeat all these cattle measures, and gradually, they are creeping insidiously into our lives. </p><p>Add to that a few commercial <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-nother-new-test-for-tb.html">opportunists</a> hand in hand with a couple of political vets, and Houston, we have a problem.</p><p>But we do have data. Collected patiently and carefully by both ministry vets and Meat Hygiene Service.</p><p>We are hearing some alarming 'factoids' about the universally applied
intradermal skin test. But apparently only applicable in certain areas
of England, Wales and Ireland it seems. In the rest of the world, it
works just fine. Now if this internationally used skin test was missing X
per cent of infected cattle in parts of Great Britain (take your pick
on what figure is doing the rounds) but let's settle on 20 per cent,
then eventually, all these disease riddled animals would end up in
abattoirs. That's what happens. And they would go down the line past a
Meat Hygiene operative, trained to look for evidence of - tuberculosis.</p><p>
So how many do they find? Defra reported in 2014:<br />
</p><blockquote>
Between 2009 and 2013, over 11.1 million cattle were recorded as
slaughtered in 313 slaughterhouses in GB. During this period 7,370
samples with lesions suspicious of bTB were submitted to AHVLA by meat
inspection teams of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) leading to an
overall rate of 0.66 submissions per 1,000 animals slaughtered.</blockquote><blockquote>
<i>M.bovis </i>was identified in 5,366 [of those] samples.
</blockquote><p>But 5,366 out of 11.1 million cattle with culture positive evidence of
zTB is not 20 per cent missed, or even 2 per cent. Its just under 0.05
per cent. Some reservoir. Some lie.</p><p>In 2019, according to <a href="https://ahdb.org.uk/news/uk-beef-production-2-higher-in-2019">Defra / AHDB figures</a> 2.8m head were examined by MHS operatives, after passing through a GB abattoir.</p><p>Of those, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain">601 animals</a> in the Defra stats for 2019 were confirmed as having zoonotic TB. (Line 15) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilo2FfSWhNFIz-tKwVVdKXCgYtHHAVRWLaiTE0tyq-cmP58P7-BHLeHWXQjpcDhDHI1q0H0cPgItjZcMidfG8wyRQdGcEQDZQYgXypb84ky7X5GyQooQ5Z7z4JzpB5CKPjkB5g4A/s1204/2021-06-27+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="1204" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilo2FfSWhNFIz-tKwVVdKXCgYtHHAVRWLaiTE0tyq-cmP58P7-BHLeHWXQjpcDhDHI1q0H0cPgItjZcMidfG8wyRQdGcEQDZQYgXypb84ky7X5GyQooQ5Z7z4JzpB5CKPjkB5g4A/w400-h320/2021-06-27+%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Having girded up the blog calculator, we make 601 confirmed cases found from 2.8m inspections, which are designed specifically to look for TB in cattle, just 0.02 per cent of the national kill that year. </p><p>That reservoir is a mirage. It doesn't exist. </p><p>And similar results were found when in 2007, Defra spent £2.8m on the <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2007/07/28-million-pathman-project.html">Pathman project</a> (SE 3013) Reactor animals, 32 of which had lung lesions were subject to a complete post mortem, taking several hours. And samples taken to support the 'undiscovered' reservoir of TB in cattle. However their results were statistically very similar to the OV pms done in 8 minutes in the abattoir. And more importantly, of all those samples, and those taken in a parallel project, not one was capable of onward transmission. Not a single one.</p><p>So fast forward to a <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/923195/tb-epidemiology-england-2019.pdf">2020 report </a> by Defra on the current situation. They confirm that 1986 was the low point for TB in our cattle, but fail to elucidate on why things have got progressively worse. For that information, <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2020/10/50-years-tale-of-utter-ministerial.html">see this posting</a> together with the Defra maps to illustrate.</p><p>From that 2020 report, one bit caught our attention:</p><p>Every breakdown herd has the dubious benefit of a Defra 'risk assessment', where a lot of questions are asked about the herd, how it is fed, how it relates to neighbouring herds etc.</p><p> And the presence of wildlife, particularly badgers. The results for 2019, are shown on p.36 as follows:</p><p><span class="markedContent" id="page94R_mcid5"><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 94.44px; top: 788.344px; transform: scaleX(1.00005);"></span></span></p><blockquote><span class="markedContent" id="page94R_mcid5"><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 94.44px; top: 788.344px; transform: scaleX(1.00005);">At county level, the most common source of infection attributed within the HRA was </span><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 94.44px; top: 814.744px; transform: scaleX(1.00047);">badgers, with over 70% in Cornwall (78.0</span><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 459.317px; top: 814.744px; transform: scaleX(1.00299);">%), Staffordshire </span><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 613.917px; top: 814.744px; transform: scaleX(1.05031);">(71.5 %) and Shropshire </span><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 94.44px; top: 841.144px; transform: scaleX(1.01215);">(70.1%) (Table 3.2.1).</span></span> </blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 113.82px; top: 877.544px; transform: scaleX(0.999425);">Within the Edge Area, the source of infection with the highest contribution varied between </span><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 94.44px; top: 904.144px; transform: scaleX(1.00055);">counties. Derbyshire (61.4%), Cheshire (60.7%), Oxfordshire (55.2%), Northamptonshire </span><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 94.44px; top: 930.594px; transform: scaleX(1.00071);">(51.9%) and Warwickshire (50.3%)</span></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote> <span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 94.44px; top: 930.594px; transform: scaleX(1.00071);">All had more than half of the weighted source attributed </span><span dir="ltr" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 94.44px; top: 956.994px; transform: scaleX(1.00054);">to badgers.</span></blockquote><p>So why, when their own operatives in the field are producing data which attributes up to 78 per cent of TB infections to badgers, are Defra's minions so hell bent on killing the sentinels of their own failed policies? That question was rhetorical, by the way.</p><p>The direction of travel appears to be more cattle tests, more sensitive cattle tests, more dead cattle - and vaccinate badgers. This despite the third party <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/more-on-cat.html">casualty </a> reported in Ireland, which blows a rather large hole in badger vaccine's VMD limited liability status - 'to do no harm'. </p><p>The (dead) Irish cat, we think, would disagree. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><blockquote><br /></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-56943765519328757792021-05-07T08:11:00.006+01:002021-05-07T08:36:24.450+01:00An unelected, unaccountable influencer<p> We have written before about the <a href="http://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/boris-i-will-follow-data.html">influence</a> that our current prime minister's latest paramour has over our industry, and its health and welfare. </p><p>Entrenched within the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) and with carefully placed colleagues, Carrie Symonds's Beatrix Potter inspired wish list is gradually being unveiled from the corridors of power. </p><p>The Farmers Guardian this week reports on her demands to <a href="https://www.fginsight.com/news/pms-fiance-demands-defra-secretary-loses-job-118966?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=Read%20more&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20wk%2018%20-%2006%20May%202021">remove from office</a> the Secretary of State for DEFRA, George Eustice. The accusation, the paper affirms, is that Eustice is 'too close to the farming lobby'. </p><p>As The Right Honourable Member was quite openly offering media briefings along the lines of the CAWF's wish list only weeks ago, and well ahead of a sham 'consultation' on the future of badger culling, we would dispute that. Eustice has history of following his masters' voice. </p><p>And as George Dunn (Tenant Farmers Association) remarked in the FG piece, to find that we need look no further than the present prime minister's latest bed mate.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>"If we are looking at where allegations of undue influence should be
more aptly applied, then we should look no further than within the
private quarters of Number 10 Downing Street."</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>It's one thing the agricultural press passing an opinion on the 'undue influence' Symonds holds over Johnson and policy, but last week the Mail on Sunday ran an article about the pair. While the main thrust was the decoration of the Downing Street flat, or more particularly, who financed it and when, for hard pressed livestock farmers, the Henry Davies cartoon says it all. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBTfwayg8A6ea-iZTuU8qjbP2YfcCHNPR1BobMOYTj6d7aMfaRqHdVe-frKcYSoWfPK6JuXuMbosbzBwxHPbpiPcIzknZeh4ePnckGp43PgNz7cmQC0W_3qwMWbnuAddT4GuI_A/s1706/Carrie+Symonds+-+cartoon.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1706" data-original-width="1241" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBTfwayg8A6ea-iZTuU8qjbP2YfcCHNPR1BobMOYTj6d7aMfaRqHdVe-frKcYSoWfPK6JuXuMbosbzBwxHPbpiPcIzknZeh4ePnckGp43PgNz7cmQC0W_3qwMWbnuAddT4GuI_A/s320/Carrie+Symonds+-+cartoon.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Carrie wants to 'save badgers' by vaccinating them. That is No 22 of the CAWF wishlist a screen shot of which is below. Apologies - use zoom to see detail. </p><p>The document has long disappeared from the CAWF site, but is 'saved' here. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9Eks2cZK8p78DFZOCtdPazElbbEkQLoV1WII_2_mO2mQKQvuPJSptfgh6v3myBHRel6XIctkZ8-IfqiegQNzsbq9vnM3vruPcDggGsVWK9iswBLZkITHzrsZopwNbV_crvr2_w/s768/cawf-manifesto-snip-novenmberfinal-768x441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9Eks2cZK8p78DFZOCtdPazElbbEkQLoV1WII_2_mO2mQKQvuPJSptfgh6v3myBHRel6XIctkZ8-IfqiegQNzsbq9vnM3vruPcDggGsVWK9iswBLZkITHzrsZopwNbV_crvr2_w/s320/cawf-manifesto-snip-novenmberfinal-768x441.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-15619641969321394322021-03-07T19:24:00.003+00:002021-03-07T19:24:39.646+00:00After the cat, a herd of deer culled.<p>Despite acknowledging the success of the farmer led badger culls, with cattle breakdowns and slaughterings down by an average of over 50 per cent, our Secretary of State, with his eye firmly fixed on his advancement, is still whittering on about stopping the culls, in favour of vaccination.</p><p>Are his advisers not aware of the vaccinated badger (s) which developed enough disease from the vaccine to infect a perfectly <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/more-on-cat.html">innocent young cat</a>? Or is he listening with his ears shut?</p><p>Following that story, the BBC report a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-56285908">cull of deer </a> at Dyrham Park, in south Gloucestershire. (Picture credit - Sarah Cox)</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUxUHvW07rc7ehgjcm23iWrY-fRazqtXOBvz5dMkifWG93ofjOv3HxBkm32glZzFy4nItWQX669acYzqgLkWFwqMIf4wTPZLib6sDRvJ6JnA1EQVn4tuEDEUdmbKmiXGUQmJzrw/s976/_117388609_bucksinautumn.creditsarahfox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUxUHvW07rc7ehgjcm23iWrY-fRazqtXOBvz5dMkifWG93ofjOv3HxBkm32glZzFy4nItWQX669acYzqgLkWFwqMIf4wTPZLib6sDRvJ6JnA1EQVn4tuEDEUdmbKmiXGUQmJzrw/s320/_117388609_bucksinautumn.creditsarahfox.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2"><p><b class="ssrcss-14iz86j-BoldText e5tfeyi0"></b></p></div></div><blockquote><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2"><p><b class="ssrcss-14iz86j-BoldText e5tfeyi0">An entire herd of deer at an historic park has been culled due to an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).</b></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2"><p>The 70 deer at Dyrham Park were put down after a 10-year battle by estate staff to stop the disease spreading.</p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-3z08n3-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2"><p>There has been a herd at the park, between Bristol and Bath, for 300 years.</p></div></div><p><br /></p><p></p></blockquote><p>Several cattle farmers have also had a ten year ( or more) battle trying to keep zoonotic TB out of their herds - but let that pass. The report continues:</p><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote>The National Trust said over the past decade measures including <b>adding
extra fencing,</b> carrying out a <b>badger vaccination programme</b> and <b>stopping
cattle grazing in the park</b> had all been tried, without success.</blockquote><p>Yup , been there, done that - got many tee shirts. But now we see from the report on the cat, that at least some scientists are waking up to the fact that vaccinating any old badger in the field, regardless of its current health status, may not be the most sensible of ideas. And may also breach the terms of its VMD (Veterinary Medicines Directorate) license. </p><p><br /></p><p>But when you look at the wanderings of badgers across pasture land, and add to that their incontinent but highly effective sprinkler system, and add to that the amount of bacteria they excrete, it's no wonder any mammal encountering this detritus becomes infected too. Whether that's with the strain TB already in badgers in the area, or the Danish BCG strain. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYjb63SnOfRkV4dOVZH-ARvoLisXkfOiRAY2vY5-83PU4SAvPe7EPlGEbECtSsqr5qnZT01FupnyJfyJdaMe5MYpjoSOv7Ve2kBrUxr66ksLVg0qB2waugHdb3gJLwFMJELXPjQ/s526/142231467_474716233936930_930664121055543007_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYjb63SnOfRkV4dOVZH-ARvoLisXkfOiRAY2vY5-83PU4SAvPe7EPlGEbECtSsqr5qnZT01FupnyJfyJdaMe5MYpjoSOv7Ve2kBrUxr66ksLVg0qB2waugHdb3gJLwFMJELXPjQ/s320/142231467_474716233936930_930664121055543007_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>With thanks to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Badgers-TB-culling-and-conservation-119444692797421/">this site</a> for permission to use the picture taken with a drone over snow covered fields. </p><p><br /></p><p>To any new readers to this site, we'll re cap on the amount of bacteria carried by infected badgers, especially in their urine. From our <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-much-is-enough.html">Parliamentary Questions </a> we gleaned these nuggets:</p><p>Badgers with kidney lesions can excrete up to 300,000 cfu (colony forming units) of <i>m.bovis</i> bacteria in each 1 ml of urine: and they void up to 30ml in each incontinent squirt..</p><p>Just 70 cfu can infect a cow, and 1 cfu a calf.</p><p><br /></p><p>The National Trust say they hope to restock Dyrham Park with deer. Why? They've tried fencing, no cattle grazing and vaccination of local badgers. But as others have already found to their cost, until they clear the Park of infected badgers, anything else is a total waste of time. </p><p>How arrogant. How sad.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-73930368362388365402021-02-18T17:48:00.025+00:002021-02-23T17:42:37.885+00:00Boris : 18/02/2021 " I will follow the data." <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7aRxwB3AMX6dTNq9P6LgyTThR_Zv3Jq4jGdFeTpaRXZFa7D87J0nBHN0wDUQIo5-KjB7RcIjxq3BwzNWLvAgo5v5KUnBhXDvVDwa6hyshZ1yLmmlxzCIXtdcdcUFVFMHCkjDlQ/s810/110522874_316173039791251_6282094813018082971_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7aRxwB3AMX6dTNq9P6LgyTThR_Zv3Jq4jGdFeTpaRXZFa7D87J0nBHN0wDUQIo5-KjB7RcIjxq3BwzNWLvAgo5v5KUnBhXDvVDwa6hyshZ1yLmmlxzCIXtdcdcUFVFMHCkjDlQ/s320/110522874_316173039791251_6282094813018082971_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Excellent statement. Sadly though it refers to SARS-COV-2 and not a bacteria of the same pathogenic class - <i>mycobacterium bovis</i> - or as we prefer to call it zoonotic Tuberculosis.</p><p>The graphs are courtesy of bovineTB information and show the data for Gloucestershire (which piloted a cull of badgers) and Derbyshire (which did not, having had interference from the PM's girlfriend)</p><p>Presently DEFRA has a <a href="https://consult.defra.gov.uk/bovine-tb-2020/eradication-of-btb-england/">Consultation </a> out to show us the direction of travel. Led by Boris's current bed mate, a couple of Goldsmiths, a Defra minister and a few more people with much to say and nothing to lose, Defra appear to want to stop 'following the data', and replace what works with something which most definitely does not. Here's a sample:</p><p><span style="color: #553982;"><u></u></span></p><blockquote><u>A summary of their suggestions</u><br />
Proposal 1 - extending post movement testing to the edge area <br />
proposal 2 - use of the gamma test in the HRA and edge area<br />
proposal 3 - stop issuing new intensive badger cull licences post 2022<br />
proposal 4 - badger cull licences issued in 2021 and 2022 could be revoked after two years <br />
proposal 5 - reduce the financial commitment required from coal companies<br />
proposal 6 - restrict supplementary badger cull licences to a maximum of two years</blockquote><br /><p></p><p>Data gathered over the last 50 years shows that to eradicate zoonotic TB from cattle, testing and culling reactor bovines must go hand in hand with culling infectious wildlife reservoirs of disease. That's pretty obvious really, and as CV-19 ravages our economy, lives and industry, lockdowns of people are pretty ineffective if the organism causing the disease, is allowed to spread unchecked. As we have seen.</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/870414/bovine-tb-strategy-review-government-response.pdf">Government direction of travel </a> however, seems to be to stop what is seen to work, and replace with something which patently does not. In the link previously given, page 6 states that even the sporadic farmer led (and paid for) culls have reduced cattle TB by a very significant amount. And the figure of an over 50 per cent reduction has been sustained as more areas came on stream.</p><p><span face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 120px; top: 120.495px; transform: scaleX(1.00097);"></span></p><blockquote><p><span face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 120px; top: 120.495px; transform: scaleX(1.00097);">As of 2019, 57% of the HRA is now subject to a licensed cull of badgers. </span><span face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 120px; top: 146.895px; transform: scaleX(1.00296);">This policy, while difficult and inevitably contentious, is starting to yield results. The </span><span face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 120px; top: 173.295px; transform: scaleX(1.00075);">latest epidemiological analysis conducted by Downs and others has shown that the </span><span face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 120px; top: 199.895px; transform: scaleX(1.0008);">incidence of the disease in the first cull areas of Somerset and Gloucester has fallen </span><span face="sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px; left: 120px; top: 226.295px; transform: scaleX(1.00779);">substantially, by 37% and 66% respectively.</span></p><p></p></blockquote><p>We have written many times about the futility of vaccinating <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2019/03/new-year-new-lies.html">wild badgers </a>. done in such a way that no credence is given to their health status at the time of a jab, and no micro chip to mark them. The results were of course predictable. But the gravy train continues to roll, with the latest consultation full of hope and more research, and very little else to support our livestock industry. </p><p>We feel that the story we told last week about the <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/more-on-cat.html">young Irish cat </a> dead from the Danish strain 1331 of <i>m.bovis,</i> uniquely found in badger vaccines, may call into question both the licensing criteria for this product and its <i>ad hoc </i>use in the field.</p><p>If you remember, badger BCG has a LMA classification - Limited Marketing Authority. No efficacy data was submitted. That we were told, was the responsibility of the end user. And in this case the end user is the Queen of obfuscation regarding vaccines in general and badger vaccine in particular, Rosie Woodroffe. The VMD also confirm that the product was licensed on the basis that 'did no harm'.</p><p>A dead Irish cat and an unknown number of badgers infected with Danish strain 1331 may take issue with that. </p><p>So while our Prime Minister Boris Johnson, MP is intent on following the data on one Grade 3 pathogen, we would ask him to ensure that his Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does exactly the same for another.</p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-52370208450822192992021-02-13T16:58:00.000+00:002021-02-13T16:58:00.440+00:00More on the cat<p> </p><p>We quoted the <a href="http://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/02/ztb-in-cat-genotyped-to-vaccinated.html">Abstract </a> from a paper published last week, on the infection of a domestic cat with the Danish strain of <i>m.bovis,</i> found in badger BCG.</p><p>Now having read the paper, we are in a better position to comment - and it isn't pretty.</p><p>Cats seem to be particularly susceptible to <i>m.bovis </i>infection, and depending on veterinary treatment, prognosis is not good.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>"Treatment includes surgery, when indicated, and a long course of multiple appropriate antibiotics (Gunn-Moore 2014b). Long-term remission may be achieved for cats presenting with skin and/or pulmonary lesions. However, prognosis is guarded to poor, for untreated or inappropriately treated patients, due to relapses, pulmonary and/or systemic spread."</p><p><br /></p></blockquote><p>The cat in the M.Manou <i>et al </i>paper (published by the Journal of Small Animal Practice by the Wiley Library) was described as a domestic neutered tom cat, aged 7 when he was euthanised. He had been treated for 42 (that is correct - ed) months for a painful forelimb, lack of extension and non weight bearing in that limb and swelling. Treatments included numerous antibiotics and continuous pain relief. For over three years. </p><p>When finally referred for further investigative treatment, the cat's condition was described as follows:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>"On referral to our institution, the cat was on a 4-week course of meloxicam. Antibiotics had been discontinued 2 weeks earlier. There was severe lameness with toe touching weight-bearing (standing and walking) and minimal use of the left forelimb [grade 4/5 Visual Analogue Score (VAS)]. There was severe atrophy of the muscles of the brachium and shoulder. There was soft tissue swelling around the elbow, and normal range of motion (ROM). Pain was elicited on extension of the elbow and on direct palpation of the point of insertion of the tendon of the triceps muscle on the olecranon. </p><p>Mild discomfort was elicited on flexion and extension of the left carpus. Orthogonal radiographs of the elbows showed a heterogenous appearance of the proximal aspect of the ulna with new bone formation, interpreted as a previous greenstick fracture or osteoarthitic changes of the left elbow (Fig 1). Mild osteoarthritic changes were seen in the right elbow. Thoracic radiographs revealed a diffuse unstructured broncho-interstitial pattern (Fig 2). </p><p>Exploratory surgery was performed."</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Having drained the soft swelling in the elbow joint and ascertained that this cat had extensive bone problems, he was discharged while tests were carried out on the exudate from the joint.</p><p>PCR and the usual culture tests revealed <i>m.bovis</i> But the the spoligotype was revealed as Danish Strain 1331 used locally in badger vaccines. After another six months with no improvement, intermittent lameness and pain - and now a definite diagnosis of z Tuberculosis, this young cat was euthanised.</p><p>PM results were as follows:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>"Post mortem examination revealed marked muscle atrophy of the proximal left forelimb and scapula, mild left axillary and prescapular lymphadenomegaly, and focal pallor within muscles close to the proximal ulna including the anconeus muscle. </p><p>Histological examination showed focally extensive severe necrotizing granulomatous myositis, ulnar periostitis, and granulomatous lymphadenitis of the prescapular and axillary LN; ZN staining was negative. <u>M. bovis BCG Danish Strain 1331 </u>was isolated from the pre-scapular LN, muscle and bone (olecranon)."</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Other snippets from this paper should be of interest to all who think that culling infectious badgers can be replaced by vaccinating them.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>"Numerous acid-fast bacilli have been found within macrophages at the site of BCG vaccination (subcutaneous route) <b>371 days after administration in badgers</b>, suggesting the possibility of persistence of BCG within a low percentage of this vaccinated population (Lesellier et al. 2006)."</p><p> </p></blockquote><p></p><p>The paper goes on to describe tuberculosis persisting in humans when offered to candidates already compromised with disease. And this is exactly the situation in the UK and Ireland, where the 'trials' - such as they were, pre screened all their badgers before vaccination. And why no evidence of a drop in cattle TB was found in areas where such <i>ad hoc</i> vaccinations had taken place. There was no such expected drop in areas where pre screened badgers had been vaccinated either.</p><p>Badgers offered BCG in the wild, are merely cage trapped, then jabbed with an attenuated (weakened) but live vaccine - then released. Unmarked except for a quick spray of sheep marker. No microchips to make sure they didn't come in for a second or third dose of peanuts, and certainly no pre jab health check.</p><p>The paper's conclusion is thus:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>" We hypothesise that vaccinating immunocompromised badgers may result in persistence and shedding of the BCG Danish Strain 1331.</p><p>[Badger ] vaccinations took place every spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) from 2010 until spring 2017. The most likely route of transmission to the cat was either via the initial bite or was secondary to wound infection from environmental contamination of the cat’s intra articular injection site with urine or faeces, from a vaccinated badger shedding BCG."</p><p><br /></p></blockquote><p> The time line for this unfortunate cat, we trace back to exposure to his <i>m.bovis</i> infection at around 3 years old - 2015/16 - as he was 7 years old when he was pts and had suffered veterinary interventions for half his short and painful life, with no success whatsoever.</p><p>But currently we have a Secretary of State hell bent of curtailing the one thing which has halved TB in cattle in badger cull areas over the last few years, and replacing it with - nothing. </p><p>Vaccination for badgers - see above and <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2013/09/honouring-lie.html">in this posting.</a> We call it 'honouring the lie'. </p><p>For vaccination in cattle - <a href="http://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2012/10/bcg-vaccination-cattle.html">see this posting. </a> </p><p>But this is what happens when infectious reservoirs of badgers are removed. Successfully. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFvFydvalapf8tqNM2WkDSKswHRkTDhr0oxSpKMMym3ePOv7bgrxBkvJfyZ0lSwm6qkdLLlaQuFTCYPncW2B_mswTQiZeFCyPiognY4gjH3jzbViBFH1hTrLlHaNKrFRYIKHpGA/s640/2018-01-09+%25287%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="640" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFvFydvalapf8tqNM2WkDSKswHRkTDhr0oxSpKMMym3ePOv7bgrxBkvJfyZ0lSwm6qkdLLlaQuFTCYPncW2B_mswTQiZeFCyPiognY4gjH3jzbViBFH1hTrLlHaNKrFRYIKHpGA/w346-h256/2018-01-09+%25287%2529.png" width="346" /></a></div><br /><p>With thanks to http://www.bovinetb.info/index.php for the chart which confirms our Parliamentary questions, posed all those years ago. We asked why the Thornbury TB eradication had been so spectacularly successful .</p><p>The answer was unequivocal:</p><p><br /></p><blockquote> "<b><i>The fundamental difference between the Thornbury area and
other areas [] where bovine tuberculosis was a problem, was the
systematic removal of badgers from the Thornbury area. No other species
was similarly removed. No other contemporaneous change was identified
that could have accounted for the reduction in TB incidence within the
area" [</i></b>157949 - Hansard]"</blockquote><p>Keep it simple. </p><p> </p><p></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-44485725515428910102021-02-03T11:53:00.002+00:002021-02-03T11:53:12.104+00:00zTB in cat genotyped to vaccinated badgers.<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHPdB6R8EeurUI8brTXe39taUumMw6yzc2Rt436udrzaNnx_qNmRHeQL1votBtepdDFebqNusiD8Xw7B9AcA_GGo7ncP2y0LGKmupsDwe_8BnIrl_-8vIc1qvD_LX226WCri34A/s525/pexels-photo-460874.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHPdB6R8EeurUI8brTXe39taUumMw6yzc2Rt436udrzaNnx_qNmRHeQL1votBtepdDFebqNusiD8Xw7B9AcA_GGo7ncP2y0LGKmupsDwe_8BnIrl_-8vIc1qvD_LX226WCri34A/s320/pexels-photo-460874.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We knew from <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2014/10/honouring-lie-2.html">previous papers </a> that vaccinating badgers with BCG at 10x the human required strength, was a daft idea, having covered it many times in the past. But today's news from the respected <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jsap.13287">Wiley Library</a> sheds a whole new light on the indiscriminate jabbing of wild badgers, of uncertain health status, by well meaning but stupid people.</p><p>The Abstract from the paper is below, in full.</p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"A 7‐year‐old male neutered domestic shorthair outdoor cat was referred for chronic left forelimb lameness, which had been treated with intra‐articular injections of triamcinolone acetonide. A soft tissue swelling around the elbow joint, extending from the distal humerus to the proximal ulna, was surgically explored and biopsy samples obtained. </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Mycobacterium bovis</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> was cultured from samples from the soft tissue and bone. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The mycobacteria from the media were killed and the DNA extracted and tested on a multiplex real‐time PCR for the absence of specific genes and the presence of mycobacterial genus markers. The PCR revealed bacillus Calmette‐Guérin Danish Strain 1331; this was also isolated from the prescapular lymph node, muscle and bone, obtained at post mortem examination. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Badgers had been vaccinated with the bacillus Calmette‐Guérin vaccine SSI (Statens Serum Institute) in the area where the cat lived, in the spring and autumn of the previous year. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of infection with </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">M. bovis</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> bacillus Calmette‐Guérin Danish Strain 1331 in a domestic cat, potentially associated with annual vaccination of badgers in the proximity of the cat's home."</span></p></blockquote><p>Many of the current fluffy ideas for agriculture, originate in the heart of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200805071451/https://www.conservativeanimalwelfarefoundation.org/7834-2/">Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation</a>, a group inhabited by the Prime minister's latest bed mate, Carrie Symons, his father Stanley Johnson, the Goldsmith brothers, Zac and Ben, one of which was shoehorned into Defra, to join Minister Theresa Villiers. </p><p>Please look at wish number 22. </p><p>And then recall the latest <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2021/01/covid-19-it-is-strenuously-denied-by.html">consultation</a> from Defra which proposes <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2020/06/history-repeats-itself.html">vaccinating cattle</a> to avoid culling any infectious badgers at all. But the poor cat whose nine lives were halved by an environmental contact with the infectious excretions from a vaccinated badger throws a whole new light on the subject. And also seeds into our environment not only the known spoligotypes of <i>m.bovis </i>hosted by<i> </i>badgers<i> </i>but the Danish strain 1331 found in badger BCG.</p><p>As we said in the previous posting, there is no vaccine for stupidity. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-38322753419697522042021-01-27T19:23:00.004+00:002021-01-28T09:44:51.705+00:00Covid 19 - It is strenuously denied by DEFRA... <p> .. that the pandemic sweeping the country known as Covid 19 is spread by badgers. But who knows ?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWp5Y85ZQYBacwDrVIVw9UoCGSLv_a3PNXpfE-vW40U9dgtQnGIA6R5Pc-ahSmtYsMAsNHJPsyIJrWSU0N3BDedb-Th0DjzBbVAHtda7DqoKwpVljcsQyiNAX7jyu6s1e26XtrjQ/s1024/Britain-COVID19-Vaccine-GettyImages-1230011646.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWp5Y85ZQYBacwDrVIVw9UoCGSLv_a3PNXpfE-vW40U9dgtQnGIA6R5Pc-ahSmtYsMAsNHJPsyIJrWSU0N3BDedb-Th0DjzBbVAHtda7DqoKwpVljcsQyiNAX7jyu6s1e26XtrjQ/s320/Britain-COVID19-Vaccine-GettyImages-1230011646.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Badgers are certainly a super spreader of another Grade 3 pathogen known as zoonotic Tuberculosis and our 538 Parliamentary Questions, which form the basis of this site - now in its 17th year - confirm that. From the early 1970s Ministry vets have known that, and also that the thorough removal of diseased badgers is essential if cattle are to remain TB free.</p><p>So why would George Eustice, the current Secretary of State, on the day that yet another tranche of consultations were launched on badger control, give an interview to the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/27/badger-cull-effectively-banned-2022-environment-secretary-announces/">Daily Telegraph</a> indicating that:</p><blockquote><p>" ... indefinite culling is
"not acceptable", adding "Badger culling is one of the most contentious
and divisive policies within our bTB eradication strategy. Our current
policy enables four-year intensive cull licences in defined areas with
scope for a further five years of supplementary culling."</p></blockquote><p>The plan apparently is to not issue new licenses after next year (2022) and reduce the length of supplementary culls to just two years.</p><p>His optimism is based on the availability of cattle vaccines within 5 years. Good luck with that one, George. We think the world currently has more on its mind than vaccines for cattle TB in the one country which won't control its wildlife reservoir of the disease. Priorities George, priorities. </p><p>The consultation documents for future strategy, (already decided) can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations">on this link</a> </p><p>The relationship of zoonotic disease control with the PM's current bed mate, one Carrie Symonds, has all the hallmarks of being complicit with Eustice's announcement. It also featured in the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation's wish list, at No 22. </p><p>But it beggars belief that a minister would announce the result of a consultation, not yet collated.</p><p>But it neatly confirms what most of us already knew. That Gov.UK makes up its collective mind, then consults to get the 'democracy' box ticked.</p><p>A shameful sham, but one that also ticks boxes on Climate change ( fly around the world - kill cattle?) but also, as if the chaotic Trans .End to Brexit wasn’t wasn’t enough, gives our exports a toxic label, when Export Health Certificates are completed. Or not. </p><p>There is no vaccine for stupidity.</p><p>Thankyou DEFRA. </p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p><br /></p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-83925881021004930252021-01-09T18:56:00.007+00:002021-01-10T09:40:33.211+00:00Dr. Brian's New Year treats<p> </p><p>Superannuated stargazer and guitar player, Dr.Brian May is reported to have created a new <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/brian-set-launch-perfume-bid-23281392">perfume</a> , bottles of which he will sign, to raise money for .... wildlife. It is said to smell of sandalwood, and badgers. Really? How quaint.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1lARSMQ0U9XEDCtuMpamjwvXkdcTbkZ9TPaxQIHS_VGwzVNw6AN5hMz_KEc4MEzOzlE3N8U-GoX-yGGwObEGU009f1VU2y6hXTRPsEubdVkpRp6FnhkPOn2yF_bP0Bq9KqDbrQ/s350/Brian+may++badger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1lARSMQ0U9XEDCtuMpamjwvXkdcTbkZ9TPaxQIHS_VGwzVNw6AN5hMz_KEc4MEzOzlE3N8U-GoX-yGGwObEGU009f1VU2y6hXTRPsEubdVkpRp6FnhkPOn2yF_bP0Bq9KqDbrQ/s320/Brian+may++badger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Dr. May was also recorded on Radio this week selling his success at preventing TB on Gatcombe Farm in Devon, by amongst other things, vaccinating the badgers locally. Sadly the <a href="https://ibtb.co.uk/">interactive TB map </a> tells a very different story, with the latest breakdown (of many) lasting in excess of 6 months. <div><br /></div><div>And of course Dr. May in an interview offered to Farmers Weekly earlier <a href="https://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/health-welfare/livestock-diseases/bovine-tb/brian-may-says-badger-vaccination-is-futile-in-btb-control">this year</a> described such vaccinations as 'futile'.</div><div> </div><div>With this we would agree, but not for the reasons given by an aging rock star, hand in hand with the most political of vets. Badger vaccination is indeed 'futile' because as we explained <a href="https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2019/03/new-year-new-lies.html">in this posting</a> after four big trials in two countries, it did nothing at all to reduce TB in cattle. Check out the links in that post. </div><div><br /></div><div>But Dr. Brian, turning this on its metaphorical head has put the blame on cattle - in particular, slurry and the skin test. How odd then that the same skin test has cleared so many countries of zoonotic tuberculosis. Completely. </div><div><br /></div><div>The only thing done differently is their control strategy for infected wildlife, known to interact with the regularly tested sentinel cattle and slaughter of any reactors. </div><div><br /></div><div>And below is the result: depending on the thoroughness of the control the better the result for cattle. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fWcI9UklMxjtzCjW_Sv6G7osdK3LSkMD7wMWMtCyvIbSbWUYK3ERuxnGtT5uJ-NeDs_HhyphenhyphenZHl7qtt1rh8X8J5Vr9UT6kTfJtA9hPItd2TkkoQoCyZIXEAftYKXMF1ifkddo7dg/s1006/2018-01-09+%25287%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1006" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fWcI9UklMxjtzCjW_Sv6G7osdK3LSkMD7wMWMtCyvIbSbWUYK3ERuxnGtT5uJ-NeDs_HhyphenhyphenZHl7qtt1rh8X8J5Vr9UT6kTfJtA9hPItd2TkkoQoCyZIXEAftYKXMF1ifkddo7dg/s320/2018-01-09+%25287%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Sadly, with our Prime minister's current bed mate and many of her friends active on the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, (CAWF) their wish list of vaccinating badgers (No 22 out of 32 Beatrix Potter type wishes) may be encouraged. However futile that may be. <br /><p><br /></p></div>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-71253637352251861042020-12-23T18:30:00.010+00:002020-12-23T18:55:59.305+00:00Defra's Christmas prioritiesAnother year has stuttered by. The badger culls have had a deal of success, but bubbles of infection still haunt our cattle herds as stragglers, escaping from a patchy 70 per cull, on 70 per cent of available land, wander about. Sometimes finding an unoccupied and still highly infectious sett.<div><br /></div><div>Our PQs answers suggested that<i> m.bovis</i> can survive for up to 2 years in the dark, humid conditions of a badger sett. They were not wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div> Meanwhile, our Chief Veterinary Officer is launching Christmas <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cat-microchipping-consultation-launched" target="_blank"> consultation </a> on the micro chipping of - cats.</div><div><br /></div><div> One would have thought that the eradication of a Grade 3 zoonosis would have been a priority? But no. Cats it is, so they don't get lost. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cat's lives matter - all nine of them - even if those of our cattle do not. </div><div><br /></div><div> So as another 'plague' spreads across our country, and our 'world beating' scientists fall over each other's shoe laces not controlling it, we wish you a safe and happy Christmas and healthy new year.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmfS5kbREXYlhfrl27q8phPgQAcQWF93s7iCNuXzXhwxXzoLZg0X_DhxzoXRpJ_HwIAwga_0HHth0ZqC3wcMysnnYmrb6kxV7RQB-0NUkI9R-nc3OpnP8Jm2b8VVxehaR53hQjg/s160/christmas_animated_gifs_40.gif" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmfS5kbREXYlhfrl27q8phPgQAcQWF93s7iCNuXzXhwxXzoLZg0X_DhxzoXRpJ_HwIAwga_0HHth0ZqC3wcMysnnYmrb6kxV7RQB-0NUkI9R-nc3OpnP8Jm2b8VVxehaR53hQjg/s400/christmas_animated_gifs_40.gif" /></a></div></div>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-65962995714713001792020-10-14T07:56:00.041+01:002020-10-14T15:09:27.468+01:00Wales - the stamp of Approval.
This week's news of an <a href="https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/18784365.queens-birthday-honours-2020-gwent-names/">OBE</a> for the architect of cattle carnage in Wales, Christianne Glossop, comes as no surprise.
But in 2011, the lady was the farmers' hero, when she announced the following, in a video message:
<blockquote>'We have a big TB problem here in Wales. And it's quite clear that if we're
going to succeed in eradicating this epidemic we absolutely have to tackle
all sources of infection.
We have infected cattle and we are testing and slaughtering those infected
cattle on a regular basis. But alongside that we must deal with infection in
other species.
One of the biggest problems is our wildlife reservoir of infection
particularly in the badger population. Killing the Badgers will make a big
difference to the level of infection in the countryside and we know from
scientific studies carried out in England that it can also have a direct
impact on the incidence of infection in cattle.</blockquote>
OK so far? And in 2011 Ms Glossop continues with her vision:
<blockquote>A long term study that took place in England a number of years ago now
showed us that culling badgers can directly reduce the incidence of
infection in our cattle herds. And that's what we are preparing to do here
in Wales. The long term study that took place in England - The Randomised
badger culling trial, set out to ask the question - Can culling badgers have
an impact on incidence of infection in our cattle population?
And what that study showed was that, in fact, it can reduce the incidence of
infection in cattle and that that benefit can last over a significant period
of time.
</blockquote>
She expands on that statement too:
<blockquote>The areas that were culled have been studied in the 3 - 4 years following
the end of badger culling and the benefits continue to be shown and so the
great news, great new evidence that was published just two weeks ago now,
showed us that the benefits of badger culling can be seen up to 3 - 4 years
following the end of culling.
</blockquote>
And finishes with the following:
<blockquote>It's really important to remember though that if we are going to be
successful in our TB eradication programme here in Wales we must tackle
infection in all species. And so alongside our plan to cull badgers we are
also bearing down hard on infection in the cattle population.
We're carrying out more testing we're removing cattle from the herds and
slaughtering them as rapidly as possible and we're also working with
farmers across Wales to raise standards of bio-security to reduce the risk
of introducing infection into our farms”.
</blockquote>
We think that Ms Glossop makes it clear in her video, which can be seen on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Badgers-TB-culling-and-conservation-119444692797421/"> this site</a> with the transcript above, that culling badgers is an essential part of curtailing the rise in bovine TB. It is.
And in 2010 she was given a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6885842/7079241392667942282">roadmap </a> of how to do that. Sadly, that was a worse shamble than the English RBCT. She had been royally shafted.
But this lady was for turning. And while slaughtering just shy of 90,000 cattle in the Principality during her tenure (2010 - 2019 ) barely a single tuberculous badger was culled. A few were vaccinated at vast expense. Farmers Weekly report <a href="https://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/health-welfare/livestock-diseases/bovine-tb/welsh-tb-cattle-slaughter-numbers-rise-by-record-28"> the huge increase </a> in cattle slaughterings recorded for 2019. The highest on record.
So in Ms. Glossop's case, OBE has to be an acronym not for Order of the British Empire, but for Obscene Bovine
Extermination.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2HuXYG9Hatl4ZcCmhWopfBslbhECgDdbj0N_oPPMSMmcSJD0i8Gn2VSekhqglWPdX6ZBxUiSweB2_LU-UbzWycf12CkTcbYNxrLOtYSL1FTXw1UdwLtwsn0W4n4FKssImBl9Bg/s287/dead+cattle.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2HuXYG9Hatl4ZcCmhWopfBslbhECgDdbj0N_oPPMSMmcSJD0i8Gn2VSekhqglWPdX6ZBxUiSweB2_LU-UbzWycf12CkTcbYNxrLOtYSL1FTXw1UdwLtwsn0W4n4FKssImBl9Bg/s320/dead+cattle.jpg"/></a></div>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885842.post-3976866189004657512020-10-06T18:29:00.003+01:002020-10-08T09:17:38.299+01:0050 years. A tale of Ministerial failure - in pictures. <p> </p><p> We first published this posting in 2012, but as 2021 looms, it will be 50 years since a tuberculous badger was found and post mortemed in a Glos. on a farm where repeated tests and slaughter were failing to clear the cattle herd of zoonotic Tuberculosis.<br /></p><p> Using their own maps, we will track the disgraceful decline of
this country's so-called TB eradication programme.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqfpUXASYoipATXCgmkIvH3XqZ4XlmGwPCB4jR1BYgmVNtJ4de93PRGznceXVj8SVAiRPH5HbPNSLXVASA2e7NG3VmLkoTH0S84ZOMXgb1AOTld16ob8IEjSbKHBGkX8ZqslVuA/s1600/Breakdowns-1986.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqfpUXASYoipATXCgmkIvH3XqZ4XlmGwPCB4jR1BYgmVNtJ4de93PRGznceXVj8SVAiRPH5HbPNSLXVASA2e7NG3VmLkoTH0S84ZOMXgb1AOTld16ob8IEjSbKHBGkX8ZqslVuA/s400/Breakdowns-1986.JPG" width="207" /></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
After the Attested herds scheme of the 1950s and 60s, we were so nearly
TB free. But a couple of 'hotspots' remained, which finally responded to
parallel action on badgers after the mid 1970s.<br />
<br />
Farmers controlled badger numbers.<br />
<br />
The Protection of Badgers Act (1972) meant that any population control,
for any reason, was by license only. MAFF controlled badgers " to
prevent the spread of disease".<br />
<br />
And in 1986, where at least one confirmed TB reactor had triggered annual tests for the parish, the maps looked like this.<br />
<br />
<b>513 reactor cattle were slaughtered in 1986.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb4fle02jp_CWDPlRg8AZzw13L1W8Mzp9M7FOevBy1QUQQArsFH_tCD3A7KN0XtaWzC_IY66LoupAr7IlwrW8bP42Wjk5KdVejV7yNVa2wkD39mGLn4p4PSs9p3gLYxyXj9Vtxg/s1600/Breakdowns-1996.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb4fle02jp_CWDPlRg8AZzw13L1W8Mzp9M7FOevBy1QUQQArsFH_tCD3A7KN0XtaWzC_IY66LoupAr7IlwrW8bP42Wjk5KdVejV7yNVa2wkD39mGLn4p4PSs9p3gLYxyXj9Vtxg/s400/Breakdowns-1996.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
After 1986, the real decline began, as gassing of a complete group of
badgers implicated in cattle breakdowns by MAFF, was replaced with cage
traps and shooting - of those that hadn't been released or moved.<br />
<br />
But the big change was the land allocated to the Ministry wildlife
teams. This was reduced during the Interim Strategy operating 1988 - 97
from 7km down to just 1km and then only on land cattle had grazed.<br />
All arable, woodland or neighbouring land was out of bounds to the wildlife teams - if not badgers..<br />
<br />
Over the same period badger numbers were estimated to have increased by 77 per cent per decade.<br />
<br />
The 1996 map tells its own story of expanding hotspots.<br />
<br />
<b>3,881 cattle were slaughtered in 1996.
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJjwPT5D1PXO7tqEF9-IKGILUiwk64R9xmfSf1gzQkXcD3cvYHWeQA7WDOfIBxRvYHhI-OC2475ffLPmMZkNk1kUCsDAy2bpQ5OZobIMkDAWRiAtnrCHEHSYkqIDJ375YauG_2Q/s1600/Breakdowns-2006.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJjwPT5D1PXO7tqEF9-IKGILUiwk64R9xmfSf1gzQkXcD3cvYHWeQA7WDOfIBxRvYHhI-OC2475ffLPmMZkNk1kUCsDAy2bpQ5OZobIMkDAWRiAtnrCHEHSYkqIDJ375YauG_2Q/s400/Breakdowns-2006.JPG" width="249" /></a></div><p>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In 1997, the then Labour government accepted a £1m bung from the
Political Animal Lobby (PAL), and a moratorium was introduced overnight
on Section 10 (2) of the Protection of Badgers Act.</p><p><br />
No licenses were issued to "prevent the spread of disease".<br />
Two years later, the number of cattle slaughtered had doubled.<br />
<br />
The moratorium is still in place. <br />
<br />
The 2006 map shows hotspots expanding like Topsy.<br />
<br />
MAFF was now been re invented as DEFRA.<br />
<br />
<b>22,282 cattle were slaughtered in 2006.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoCaPsYbQLrg0Z0vsMiQXuRAYABDFi9SLrm2xRV84RfHHITwfMJJTwzX8MJdYC31_wr4n7mYmQnanLlGQNmjvns7joKlYv1ennEDhY0e0Ulkwyub_GyrfrlX4VcV96NogEIboWA/s1600/wp64ef00de_05%255B1%255D.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoCaPsYbQLrg0Z0vsMiQXuRAYABDFi9SLrm2xRV84RfHHITwfMJJTwzX8MJdYC31_wr4n7mYmQnanLlGQNmjvns7joKlYv1ennEDhY0e0Ulkwyub_GyrfrlX4VcV96NogEIboWA/s400/wp64ef00de_05%255B1%255D.jpeg" width="280" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
After the end of the <strike>Badger Dispersal Trial</strike> RBCT in 2006, Defra cracked down hard on cattle movements and ramped up testing.<br />
<br />
Pre movement testing was introduced in a valiant attempt to find this hidden reservoir of Tuberculosis in cattle.<br />
<br />
The 2011 map showed the annual testing area as solid red, increased by
several miles from Defra's original 2010 model. As far as badger could
walk?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>34,617 cattle were slaughtered in 2011.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GeENCc02RY8WTwVQvMQlj2pMBETuxWbsm2kN6a7zznASy1o6bcysWpVZYwGsoKQl8Luj5Pj3WO4uixkfGnsdTCCnVHm8QvCjo4rH51FsFJH8fg67DL1n8c0Aya0a6tPwblbM7g/s1600/Defra+map+20130001.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GeENCc02RY8WTwVQvMQlj2pMBETuxWbsm2kN6a7zznASy1o6bcysWpVZYwGsoKQl8Luj5Pj3WO4uixkfGnsdTCCnVHm8QvCjo4rH51FsFJH8fg67DL1n8c0Aya0a6tPwblbM7g/s400/Defra+map+20130001.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><p>
<br />
<br />
Fast forward to the 2012 announcement of several new annual testing areas.<br />
<br />
Please excuse the home made map - but as you can see, many buffer
counties and those with sporadic and expanding problems now require
annual tests and preMT of their cattle.<br />
<br />
No action on badgers.</p><p>In 2012, there were<b> 4919 </b>new herd incidents and<b> Defra slaughtered 37,734 animals.</b></p><p> <br />.<br />
</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj18-GPR8w_kwLLKAkXtAK7lUHd-1tWodBp4GAOkL9vYFE4BHCXhPPNya3d6b77CRCCEF1sLHzNQ7Ko9z3EL8AiEYK_0xkuMTrWnSh9CW2JPv1l3_SEJXPZ8otCCSVj0MP8-ndIQ/s1600/2013+Map.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj18-GPR8w_kwLLKAkXtAK7lUHd-1tWodBp4GAOkL9vYFE4BHCXhPPNya3d6b77CRCCEF1sLHzNQ7Ko9z3EL8AiEYK_0xkuMTrWnSh9CW2JPv1l3_SEJXPZ8otCCSVj0MP8-ndIQ/s400/2013+Map.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We think the new format of Defra's maps looks a tad truncated. In fact, very odd. We prefer the old GB format.<br />
<br />
Wales has devolved completely - as have its figures in most of the press
reports. And Scotland's head is removed.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless the GB map, minus its top and left side, we print here -
straight from Defra's new <a href="http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/files/tb-infornote-1204-changes-to-surveillance.pdf" target="”_blank”">2013 pdf file,</a><br />
which explains their new cattle measures.</p><p>Still nothing on badgers at all. And the cattle killing goes on with much enthusiasm.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
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Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Thus a sobering fact is that almost</span> 50 years ago when that first TB
infected badger was formally identified in 1971, the incidence of cattle reactors in Britain
was 0.045%, with <b>1,834 </b>cattle slaughtered under TB orders.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This
was before badgers were made a protected species and any action had been
taken to control them due to zTB.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In Great Britain, during the 12 months to April 2020 Defra
slaughtered <b>40,487 </b>cattle under TB orders associated with 3,972 new outbreaks. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In fact this country (GB) has been slaughtering around 30,000 to 40,000 cattle each year for the last
10 years associated with 4,000 to 5,000 new TB outbreaks annually. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>So, by giving infected badgers the ultimate cult status, and their ancestral home a grade 1 listing, it is readily apparent that we are
now in a far worse situation than we were more than 50 years ago. And it would be naive to assume that badgers with advanced tuberculous did not suffer from this disease.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">More on this from a group of veterinary surgeons, veterinary pathologists and others who worked on this disease during the 1970s and 1980s - and almost had it beaten - can be read in <a href="https://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/187/7/281?rss=1">the Veterinary Record</a>. <br /></span></p><p>Meanwhile, our graph, prepared a few years ago now, shows the numbers of cattle slaughtered in relation to the dumbing down, and finally abandonment, of any semblance of badger control in response to outbreaks of zTB in cattle herds in Great Britain.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayiD2qxv-r2FlGVN2rD0QFEIBlz6vuyauYJ-yr1LYzJoEXllazOJ-HGsB6tgEF5zlcDY_ICNeBJnvNQiBa-abRGtPl99DT_D_vfkDthBka-hwc-AlcYPyDy7fQ7ok5ZySg-5HnQ/s402/graph+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayiD2qxv-r2FlGVN2rD0QFEIBlz6vuyauYJ-yr1LYzJoEXllazOJ-HGsB6tgEF5zlcDY_ICNeBJnvNQiBa-abRGtPl99DT_D_vfkDthBka-hwc-AlcYPyDy7fQ7ok5ZySg-5HnQ/s320/graph+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br />
. </p><p> </p>Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09293505337441558637noreply@blogger.com0