APPENDIX 4
Memorandum submitted by Mr Tim Brooke
(P4)
TB has been around our area of northeast Herefordshire
for about six years but we only went down for the first time in
June 2000. Prior to that time starting in 1998 I took the decision
to try and prevent badgers from coming onto the farm by use of
a five strand high-tensile electric fence (New Zealand type).
The main reason was to prevent major losses
to our forage maize, the first year we grew it we lost in excess
of two acres out of one 8-acre field. But also to try and prevent
the risk of TB getting into the 120-cow pedigree herd. I'm sure
that the fence was effective for a while as no further maize was
lost and indeed several years before failing in June 2000.
Since that time we have lost 31 cows and been
closed down most of the time since then.
The cattle here have absolutely no contact with
other cattle and we have run a closed herd. However, the badgers
are actually travelling approximately three quarters of a mile
following the boundary fence all the way to a tarmac road (council
public road) which runs through the farm, and then using said
road to gain access to the grazing areas of the farm. I have personally
seen two badgers do this in broad daylight.
I remain convinced that the only way our cattle
contracted TB is through these badgers, there are 13 setts on
neighbouring farms to ours and within two miles of our farm. Probably
populated with 100 badgers or more.
The commonly heard statement from the BP league
is that despite numerous trapping experiments TB still thrives.
Well of course it does, due to the fact that during those early
tests non-infected farms were not trapped at all and also lactating
sow badgers were released, I remind you that badgers will travel
great distances for food and do not respect farm boundaries.
It has been my life's work on this farm to breed
up and maintain a healthy pedigree herd of dairy cows and its
soul destroying to see often our best cows going for slaughter.
We have erected approx four miles of fence around
every inch of this farm and spent many thousands of pounds doing
it and yet we still keep losing cows.
I firmly believe that unless the powers that
be address this problem seriously and head on that TB will grow
into a catastrophe for the cattle industry and possibly public
health as well. The large sums of money being spent now will be
beer money compared to the potential costs in the near future.
I could talk at great length about the major
cock-ups etc. that we have experienced whilst dealing with MAFF
and latterly DEFRA but I am sure you've heard before but leaving
an animal on a farm nine weeks after she failed a TB skin test
cannot be good for bio security, and this happens all too often.
I would welcome the opportunity to speak further
on this subject to whoever will listen, BPL vets, government official's
etc, and feel I have valuable knowledge to pass on.
January 2003
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