Memorandum submitted by Christine Chester
BOVINE TB
INTRODUCTION
Being invited to submit further evidence on
the problem of Bovine TB, the first thought, which occurs to me
is that, the machinations of this Committee will thus be delayed
until the next General Election, in the hope that should a Conservative
Government be elected, then the Labour Party would have the pleasure
of dropping this particular "hot potato" ie Badger Culling,
into the hands of the incoming Administration.
New Scientist 17-4-2004 reads:—"Interim
results are in, but the scientists running the trial want to withhold
them". Obviously Defra knows more than I do, but curiously
the likes of me are invited to make further comment.
To introduce myself, my name is Christine Chester;
I come from generations of farming families. I am nearly 74 and,
until three years ago, lived my life to the rhythm of the dairy
farm. The uneconomic price of milk and the trauma and costs of
being under TB restrictions made us realize there was no future
for the family dairy farm.
I can well remember the eradication of TB and
brucellosis in the m1960s, we started farming in 1952 with TT
cattle and had over 40 years of TB free farming. The great increase
in badger numbers and the relocating of urban badgers and foxes,
by so-called animal lovers have caused the present increase in
herd breakdowns. It is a well-known fact that the badger thrives
where there are dairy cows. I attended the Stake Holders Conference
at Harper Adams University College recently and was horrified
to see the spread of Bovine TB demonstrated on the computerized
maps and graphs.
1. Vaccine
I am largely ignorant on the progress towards
a vaccine. It is usually a fixed 10 years up the line. I do not
know if this research is adequately funded. No mention is ever
made as to who will pay for it, or how the vaccination programme
is to be organized. Another ear tag? Does it give life long protection?
A lot of unanswered questions. Who pays? I think that if HMG insists
in harbouring an infected species then HMG should foot the bill,
and also the bill for field damage caused by ever enlarging badger
setts.
2. Ireland
The trials in the Republic of Ireland definitely
indicate a connection between badgers and Bovine TB. The work
done by Denny and Wilesmith in Northern Ireland and reported in
Vet Record (1999) 144 pp 305-310 reads "the two main associations
with TB breakdowns are the presence of badgers and the presence
of contiguous neighbours that had confirmed TB breakdowns."
3. Trace Elements
The high yielding dairy cow needs a scientifically
balanced diet and will not get in calf unless her nutritional
requirements are met. We paid a consultant to make up a ration
based on summer grazing and silage. We always "buffer-fed"
during the grazing season including a mineral mix specific to
our requirements.
To me this is yet another "red herring"
thrown up by NFBGs et al, that cattle are short of trace
elements , making them prone to infection by TB, another myth
laid to rest.
4. Solutions
Solving the problems of Bovine TB is inevitably
clouded by political decisions, those involving funding of the
Labour Party by bodies such as the P. A. L and the desire to keep
certain Members of Parliament in their seats.
Does HMG want farmers or badgers? No other EC
or Western nation has treated farming as badly as the present
Administration, and the Tories were bad enough. The recent suggestion
that a levy be raised on milk and beef to pay TB compensation
shows the lack of understanding of HMG to the lack of profit especially
in dairy farming.
When we suffered our first case of TB we had
not had a TT test for four years. This must indicate a serious
lack of funding to the SVS. This is not acceptable; for years
the SVS has been reduced, under funded and had much of its work
undervalued and handed over to the Trading Standards.
SUMMARY
This new Inquiry is merely a delaying tactic
and HMG should be ashamed of such actions. The financial costs
to both HMG and the farming community is enormous, as is the distress
and worry to the individual farmers. Perhaps the members of Defra
should stand back and take a look historically.
Very few cases of Bovine TB were experienced
from the eradication of TB in the 1960s until the huge increase
in the badger population in the late 1990s.
No trouble.
No cow-to-cow transmission.
No problems with trace elements.
No need to vaccinate.
This submission is from myself, as a member
of a farming community in NE Staffordshire, which has seen nearly
every farm suffer a TB breakdown. We live in the Churnet Valley,
an area of steep valleys and dense woodland.
Christine Chester
May 2004
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