We should do more to stop the spread of TB in Cattle on Dartmoor

Thank you for showing interest in my blog. I am trying to raise awareness of badgers spreading TB (Bovine Tuberculosis) to cattle on Dartmoor and why this issue is significantly important to cattle farmers in Devon. This is something that I feel strongly about as we do not realise the devastating effect it has on the farmers when they lose cattle to TB. When you have read my Blog I hope that you will know a bit more about the effects of badgers spreading TB to cattle and also the effects on the farmers.

This is the fate of many bulls, cows and calves that fall victims to TB after the disease spreads from badgers to cattle. Cattle can become infected by the badgers with TB in several ways. One way is that Badgers often eat and drink out of the cattle’s feed and water troughs during the night. The badgers leave the harmful bacteria behind in their saliva and in the morning when the cattle use the same feed and water troughs the cattle become infected with TB.

Even though not all badgers are infected with TB it can be very hard for farmers to keep them away from their land as cattle farmers tend to have a large amount of grazing for their cattle, badgers can get in through gates and lift up the bottom of fences with their snout. Once one cow in your herd is infected with TB it is not easy to tell until the next test for the disease-and by that time your whole herd will be infected. Every 60 days the vet injects your whole herd twice with a chemical that reacts to an infected animal, 2 days after the vet injected them the vet comes again and every cow has two lumps on its neck the vet measures the lumps on the cow’s neck and if the top lump is larger than the bottom lump then that cow has TB if your whole herd is not infected with TB then you have to have your herd tested in another 60 days and if they are all clear after that test then it will be 120 days till your next test this will carry on every 120 days until after 6 more tests (providing your herd is clear) you will not have to have another test for 1 year. HOWEVER if one of your herds becomes infected with TB then you go back to square one. Cattle can become infected with TB via:

• Cattle, which come into nose-to-nose contact with an infected animal, may breathe in the bacteria which cause the disease.
• Cattle which are kept in winter housing with an infected animal, may become infected because the bacteria which cause the disease can be carried in moisture droplets and therefore breathed in by other cattle or spread via feed and water troughs.

Thank you so much for reading my Blog! Please would you post just a few words to give me feedback-it will only take minute.

1. Have I made you aware of the issue?

2. Have I told you:
a) What TB is?
b) How TB is spread
c) How it effect's the cattle farmers?

3. Do you now feel that badgers should be culled (selectively killed) to help stop the futher spread of TB?

Thank you again for looking at my blog and taking the time to answer the questions. Further details of the TB in cattle can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/atoz/tb/

Thank you very much