Examination of Witnesses (Questions 40-42)
MR TIM
BENNETT, MR
DAI DAVIES,
MR JAN
ROWE AND
MS JENNY
SEARLE
MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2003
40. You mentioned the word "control".
Some have floated the idea of an industry-wide levy to deal with
those aspects of the spread of TB in cattle; is there any interest
in the NFU in that?
(Mr Bennett) The fact is, if you try to levy an industry
because of a disease that is spreading because of a lack of Government
allowing us to take actions to prevent the spread of disease,
it is a particularly unfair levy. We know that the Government
have indicated that, part of their future strategy, they wish
to discuss the use of levies, in terms of animal diseases, but
I have to say that insurances and levies can only come into play
when the Government themselves have got the right framework and
are taking the right decisions to make sure that the disease can
be controlled and have got a policy of eradication. Actually not
to have a policy and to throw the risk and the costs back onto
the industry, frankly, that is ridiculous.
41. Can I ask, just finally, do you think that
the advice on good husbandry is sufficiently well developed to
make it a cross-compliance element in the context of the payment
of compensation?
(Mr Rowe) Certainly, I do not think it is. There is
a mass of theory about husbandry, but absolutely nothing that
is proven, and certainly not scientifically proven. I think, at
the moment, it is far too weak an area and there is such a huge
difference from one farm to another in what husbandry may or may
not work. And I come back to the original point, that you can
get it 99.9% correct, and in a herd of 500 cows you have to have
only one get TB and it has all gone wrong again. So I think, without
the science behind it, without the proven knowledge that this
particular husbandry will defend you absolutely from TB, it would
be crazy to say that we would accept that situation.
Chairman
42. We must receive calls to support that. Can
I ask just one further question on the testing. I am now unclear
what testing is going on, and is it true that the test does not
include any longer store cattle, or we are not testing calves?
I could do with some clarification. Again, I think we will ask
the clerk to find out a few things for us, but, from your knowledge,
can you just tell me what animals are tested and how frequently?
(Mr Rowe) Very often, if you have animals on the farm
that are due to go to slaughter within weeks of having a test
done, those animals will be exempted from the test, because the
current Meat Hygiene Regulations, Slaughterhouses, deem there
will not be a public health risk even if there is TB in those
animals, it is a waste of time putting them through the testing
procedure because they are going to slaughter anyway. If they
had TB they would be slaughtered and enter the food chain, they
are going into the food chain in a very short period of time,
so most vets and Defra are quite happy to leave them out. In relation
to herds in non-TB hot spots, very often calves under six months
are not tested because they are not deemed to be at high risk,
but I would think it is very, very few herds in hot spot areas
that are on frequent testing and have had experience of TB that
do not test every single animal on the farm. I know certainly
our vets test every single animal, and we would insist they do
so, every time.
Chairman: Can I thank you for sticking with
us. We have lost a couple of people; as you know, MPs are rarely
all together for too long. If there is any other evidence you
would want to either highlight or bring to our notice that you
have not had the opportunity to do, please feel free to send it
to us. But, unfortunately, as you have not only just been giving,
if you like, a written account, also you have given a televised
account; whatever you said will be used in evidence against you.
But thanks very much for coming along.
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