Regular Bovine TB Outbreaks in the UK and Overseas - even in Areas officially declared to be TB Free
Added by
Sally
15 Jul 2010, 3:38 PM
Whilst the UK (and many other developed countries), strive to eradicate bovine TB, the battle is regularly lost in many areas with regular outbreaks in areas declared to be TB free. The international standard for TB freedom is reached when 99.8 per cent of domestic cattle and deer herds have been free for three years and this is similar for the EU. An impossible task with increasing globalisation and when one considers that around 85% of cattle and 82% of the human population are in areas where bovine TB is either only partially controlled or not controlled at all ('Zoonotic tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in developing countries.').
This s demonstrated in the following web links which reveal the number of breakdowns in different areas over the last few weeks and the current situation in other areas. We hope to add to these links on a regular basis.
http://www.buckeyeag.com/article.php?aid=20100708031810209
Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Robert Boggs today announces that preliminary tests performed by the department’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory revealed a positive result for bovine tuberculosis in a Paulding County dairy herd.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/rural/3913218/Bovine-TB-threat-remains
www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/rural/3913215/TB-control-critical-to-our-markets
In New Zealand there are still pockets of bovine TB in some areas of the southern North Island, says Terry Hynes, regional co-ordinator for the Animal Health Board. The area he covers extends from Gisborne and Taranaki, south to Wairarapa and Wellington.
http://www.vetsweb.com/news/bovine-tb-discovered-in-south-west-france-1399.html
On a farm in Ariège in the Southern of France, bovine tuberculosis has been detected. The 83 animals on the farm have been culled as a precaution. Twelve other farms in the area are under supervision. In France, an average of thirty cases of the disease is detected per year.
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/What-Does-Discovery-Of-Bovine-Tuberculosis-In-A-Herd-In-Ohio-Mean-For-Ohio-Livestock-Farmers/2010-0...
In July 2010 a dairy herd had recently been detected with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and subsequently depopulated. There have apparently been similar outbreaks in other states.Biosecurity and the concern of introducing diseases, like tuberculosis and others characterized by 'silent'" infections, into herds and flocks is mentioned. Should additional herds be discovered in the next two years, the possibility of loss of the existing 'free" status' with respect to bTB exists. The current situation in Ohio and the USA, with respect to bTB, is interesting and gives some insight into changes that have occurred over the past 20-30 years. Herd size has tended to increase, especially in the dairy industry. Some of this expansion occurred with retention of natural additions to herds, but for many herds it also involved movement of animals from one herd to another. In some cases bTB has been traced to Mexican cattle entering the US as Holstein feeder animals and roping/rodeo steers. Unfortunately, in a few cases contact between these animals and other animals destined for breeding herds has occurred. This time frame has also seen the growth of farmed deer, elk, and bison herds, much of which was unregulated until recent years and in which some level of bTB may have persisted. The conspicuous feature of this change is the nature and amount of animal movement.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9I36A4O1.htm
A second Emmet County farm has been classified as being infected with bovine tuberculosis in Michigan. State officials say a first herd tested positive in March. An investigation found that a breeding bull from that herd had been leased to the second Emmet County producer. Emmet County is in a zone where herds must be tested at least once every three years and sometimes more often, depending on the type of cattle sold.
http://www.9and10news.com/Category/Story/?id=254474&cID=1
In March 2010, the Michigan Department of Agriculture found a bovine Tuberculosis positive herd in Emmet County. It marked the second herd infected in Emmet County in 2010. That has some people worried, because two more infected herds would mean tighter regulations for local farmers.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/business/farming/4124935/Farmers-get-Tb-warning A Tb-infected cow, originally from the West Coast, was discovered in the Edendale area earlier this year, sparking fears the disease could return to the province. Concerns were raised about farmers buying cattle from the West Coast, considered to be a higher risk area, and moving them to Southland.
http://www.9and10news.com/Category/Story/?id=254474&cID=1
In March 2010, the Michigan Department of Agriculture found a bovine Tuberculosis positive herd in Emmet County. It marked the second herd infected in Emmet County in 2010. That has some people worried, because two more infected herds would mean tighter regulations for local farmers.
http://www.vetsweb.com/news/bovine-tb-discovered-in-south-west-france-1399.html Bovine TB discovered in South West France 24 Aug 2010 - on a farm in Ariège in the Southern of France. 83 animals were culled as a precaution and twelve other farms in the area are under supervision. The incident dates back to April when one of the animals appeared to have vesicles, revealed during a routine inspection at the abattoir. However, it took several weeks before the authorities could definitively say it concerned bovine TB. In France, an average of thirty cases of the disease is detected per year.
http://www.libyanvet.com/apps/blog/entries/show/4761036-new-case-of-bovine-tb-in-south-of-france
In south west France a new case of bovine tuberculosis has been found. It is the third contaminated farm in this region.
The 500 animals on the farm will be culled, according to local veterinary services. The first case of bovine TB was in Ariège (see previous), close to the Spanish border. A few days later, a second case of the disease was found in the same area. A total of 110 cows have been culled on both farms. Around 30 farms are under quarantine now. Tests at nine suspected farms appeared to be negative.
http://www.kdvr.com/lifestyle/sns-ap-co--cowquarantine,0,7856508.story The cows were diagnosed with TB in April. Tests showed a "significant level" of infection within the 500-cow southern Colorado herd, which were all slaughtered.
http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/280910/usa___more_cases_of_bovine_tb.aspx
The Michigan Department of Agriculture says that following the discovery of bovine TB in a herd in Emmet County in March, one of teh bulls from the herd has been connected to a second farm. This makes it the second herd infected in Emmet County.
http://mn4h.com/beef/components/pdfs/Mgmt.%20of%20Bovine%20TB%20in%20Wildlife%20in%20Canada's%20National%20Parks%20-%20Ken%20Kingdon,%20Doug%20Bergeson,%20Tim%20Sallows.pdf Management of Bovine Tuberculosis in Canada's National Park, July 2009.
Sally
12 May 2018, 9:51 PM
Canada: In 2016 a cow tests positive for Bovine TB. 50,000 cattle from 150 farms are tested. 11,500 cattle are slaughtered. Two years later the country is officially free of disease, and all farmers have been compensated.
England: After a consultation regarding the problem, a 25 year plan is devised with no set targets, no goals and no end game. Some farms get advice on biosecurity, others don't. Risk-based trading is toyed with as a voluntary measure. Other susceptible livestock are ignored. 35,000 badgers are killed here and there in a seemingly random manner depending in who has the cash. Other badgers are vaccinated, but they may too get randomly killed because after no success in the pilot zones, the culls are rolled out. The main test is known to be about as reliable as flipping a coin, but when more effective tests are privately trialled successfully, Defra aren't interested. Information regarding the progress of the policy is locked away so tightly it requires a high court judgement to potentially release it. 6 years later, the situation is worse than it was before they started. And on top of that the whole industry is under threat because no one thought it was worth assessing the impacts of Brexit before allowing a vote to be cast...
It's fair to say that one of these countries may be better governed than the other.
http://www.cbc.ca/…/investigation-bovine-tb-outbreak-wraps-…
Sally
19 Oct 2016, 6:03 PM
NEW ZEALAND
It is interesting to note that NZ recently was forced, due to a FOIA action, to release their statistics, having tested each and every possum that was culled. It turns out that of 124,000 possums killed over a 10 year period, 54 of them were infectious. The wildlife cull was meaningless and ineffective, and only farming measures that were implemented alongside the cull, effected any reduction in bTB.
becky
15 Apr 2016, 6:19 PM
MICHIGAN Officials say another case of bovine tuberculosis has been detected in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said the recent case was confirmed in a medium-sized beef cattle herd in Oscoda County.
It’s also the 64th cattle herd found to carry the illness since 1998. It’s the first herd where bovine TB was announced as confirmed in 2016. The infection was found during routine testing by the state agriculture department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Info from: www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/04/11/bovine-tb-case-michigan/82896634/
becky
9 Nov 2015, 6:13 PM
NEW ZEALAND An MP says he has figures which disprove the perception that possums and wild pigs are responsible for spreading bovine tuberculosis.
NZ First's Richard Prosser says more than 124,000 possums were autopsied over the last 10 years and only 54 had bovine TB - a rate of 0.04%. And over the last eight years, only 18 wild pigs tested positive out of a total of more than 7700 examined - less than one quarter of one per cent. "Wild pigs are no more responsible for spreading bovine TB than possums," Mr Prosser said.
"These numbers, supplied in response to questions to the Ministry for Primary Industries, are unequivocal and turn long-held perceptions about bovine TB on their heads."
Mr Prosser says there's been a 40 percent reduction in the number of infected cattle since movement control was introduced in 2012.
"Coupled with the wild animal figures that we have from the government's records, this strongly suggests that effective movement control has been the real answer to TB in cattle all along," he said.
"The single biggest reservoir and vector for bovine tuberculosis is cattle. It always has been cattle."
FIJI The Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication campaign (BTEC) is carrying out testing and surveillance programs on infected areas in the Central Division.
In a statement Acting Deputy Secretary Agriculture Development, Tomasi Tunabuna said the areas being tested included Tailevu, Naitasiri, Serua and Namosi where Bovine Tuberculosis had been recently found.
www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=324656
becky
28 Aug 2015, 11:17 AM
NORWAY - Two alpacas imported from Canada into Norway have tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Antibodies against bovine tuberculosis were found in two alpacas, which are currently in solitary confinement on a farm in Hedmark. The two positive animals were imported from Canada along with 19 other alpacas in summer.
Camelids imported to Norway are tested for a number of animal diseases of which Norway is free, and the animals are kept isolated from other animals for half a year while testing is in progress.
Blood samples from the alpacas must be positive in two different serological methods performed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency as well as other tests before there is a strong suspicion of bovine tuberculosis.
Bovine tuberculosis is prevalent in many parts of the world, but as a result of testing cattle, it has been possible to limit the spread.
The disease can infect a variety of animal species and the authorities are therefore acting to prevent the introduction of this disease in Norway. The last time bovine tuberculosis was detected in Norway was in 1986.
The alpacas will be subjected to further tests before decisions are taken on what to do with the animals.
BELGIUM culls dairy cattle infected with bovine TB,. Veterinary authorities have had to cull cattle infected with bovine tuberculosis at a dairy farm in eastern Belgium and are now testing animals at some 150 other farms.
The spokesman did not say how many sick cows had been put down at the affected farm. He said investigators were testing cattle elsewhere because they were believed to have had some contact with the affected dairy farm.
Authorities have banned the transfer of animals from the farms under investigation until the results are back, the spokesman added.
Bovine tuberculosis is now rare in Belgium, though there were nine cases in 2013.
MICHIGAN Officials say a small beef cattle herd has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in Alcona County.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said Thursday the infection was confirmed after testing of the herd by the agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
It's the 62nd cattle herd found to have the infectious bacterial disease in Michigan since 1998 and the second this year.
MICHIGAN The first positive TB case in Michigan in April 2015 was found via routine bovine tuberculosis (TB) surveillance testing, Michigan's department of agriculture. This marks the 61st case of bovine TB found since 1998 in Michigan, which has had a string of infections in the northeastern Lower Peninsula.
Michigan lost its bovine TB-free status in 2000. Today, the bovine TB is endemic is in a limited, four-county area in Northeastern Lower Michigan called the Modified Accredited Zone (MAZ). All Upper Peninsula counties and 54 of the 61 Lower Peninsula counties keep their bovine TB-free status bestowed upon them by USDA in 2011.
China Modern Dairy shares fall as bovine TB reports probed
By Mark Astley+ , 12-Nov-2014
Chinese authorities are investigating reports that a business unit of China Modern Dairy sold milk cows that tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and brucellosis.
MICHIGAN More bovine TB — and more cattle will be destroyed. Another Holstein steer has tested positive for bovine TB in Huron County — the second to be affected by the disease in less than two months.
A large dairy lot in the eastern part of the county has been quarantined by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDA) after slaughterhouse surveillance confirmed the steer was bovine TB-positive on April 4. It is expected the steer came from a Saginaw County feedlot quarantined in March of last year, making it the second occurrence in Huron County since Feb. 10.
If the steer did not originate from the Saginaw herd, or any other infected herd the MDA has knowledge of, it would be considered a new outbreak and could impact the TB-free status in the southern part of the state. The owner has agreed to sell all animals on the infected lot. They will then be sent directly to a slaughterhouse. The majority of cattle would have been ready for slaughter in the next couple months, he said.
The incident will be “fairly well mitigated” by the fact that the producer will be able to finish feeding and send the cattle to slaughter.
A family-run farm in Fairhaven Township remains under quarantine after inspectors discovered a two-year-old steer tested positive for bovine TB on Feb. 10. A three-mile radius has been drawn for surveillance testing, with the lot at the center, to see if the disease has affected area farms.
It was the first incident in the county for “at least 40, if not 50 years,” Dr. James Averill, state veterinarian and division director for MDA’s animal industry, said. “This newest feedlot is likely the fifth herd tied back to the Saginaw dairy farm,” he said.
Bovine TB outbreaks have frequented an 11-county zone in northeastern Michigan since the ’90s when the disease re-emerged.
“It dramatically affected everything there — the business, tourism, everything,” he said, adding that the “state is right on top of” handling the situation.
Two incidences have now surfaced in Huron County, while Midland, Gratiot and Arenac counties also have reported cattle testing positive for bovine TB stemming from the Saginaw lot.
Averill said beef is safe to eat and animals that have lesions suggestive of bovine TB are pulled and do not enter the food supply. “There’s no food safety issue her for consumers,” he said.
CANADA Manitoba Beef Producers is welcoming nearly $300 thousand in federal funding to help track and eliminate bovine tuberculosis in the Riding Mountain TB Eradication Area.
The funding announcement by Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette MP Robert Sopuck on April 23rd came just a few weeks after the Manitoba government also said it's giving MBP $150 thousand to improve tracking of the disease.
"Basically the dollars from this project will support better tools needed for surveillance, and with that we're hoping we will have a reduction in live animal testing and eventually a move toward eradication," explains MBP general manager Melinda German.
NEW ZEALAND Only one bovine tuberculosis (TB) infected herd remains in Northland after the disease was cleared from six herds.The single, remaining infected herd has recently had a whole herd TB test and is also on the verge of being cleared of the disease. The six other herds were linked by stock movements made before the disease was diagnosed.
National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) data was vital in helping to rapidly trace movements of animals from the original infected herd, ensuring properties were put on a strict testing regime and any TB-infected cattle were sent to slaughter.
As a precautionary measure, contractors also trapped wild animals in the area to check for the disease in wildlife populations, particularly possums. Nearly 1400 possums had a post mortem, with no indication that the disease has spread to wildlife in Northland. (It is appalling that that in the UK the Government culls badgers and does not even bother to test them for bTB.)
Info from: www.farmingshow.com/industry/nait-advertorial-march-27#.U0f8xGCfQbc.twitter
becky
11 Mar 2014, 6:35 PM
MICHIGAN Innvestigation into a case of bovine tuberculosis that started with a Saginaw County dairy herd and moved to a Huron County feedlot.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that a young steer from Huron County tested positive for bovine TB. The steer is believed to be connected to a March 2013 case of bovine TB in Saginaw County.
MICHIGAN The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has completed its Saginaw County bovine tuberculosis investigation after testing 25,800 cattle on 373 farms.
The agency depopulated three TB-positive farms, quarantined another, and no other positive cattle have been revealed. As a result, the special surveillance areas have been released and the area is considered TB free.
LINCOLN, USA Nebraska -- Authorities say a cow from northeast Nebraska has been diagnosed with a case of bovine tuberculosis.
The Nebraska Agriculture Department said Tuesday that the cow was part of a small herd in Knox County. The department and federal experts are investigating to see how the cow became infected. The rest of the herd has been quarantined and has tested negative for the disease.
NEW ZEALAND Dairy herds in Taranaki infected with bovine tuberculosis as previous postings. According to a report in the Central South Island Farmer on 25 September 2013 stock purchases have now been been identified as the source of this year's infection (outbreak in six herds). A TB Free New Zealand spokesperson said it was confident the Inglewood infections were as a result of the purchase of stock as it has not been found in wildlife in the area. So, yet another example of movement problems and inadequate tests.
becky
13 Sep 2013, 3:25 PM
ARENAC COUNTYv USA A case of bovine tuberculosis (TB) was reported in Arenac County by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory Sept. 5, according to Northeast Michigan Extension dairy expert Phil Durst.
Durst said the TB was found in a dairy heifer in a herd of cattle that was being prepared for slaughter. He said currently, he does not know the farm or location within the county where the TB was discovered.
Because of the presence of TB, farms in the surrounding area can expect testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the near future.
“They will do both circle testing and trace testing from this herd,” he said. “Circle testing is when they will draw a three-mile radius around this herd, and test any herd that falls within this area. Producers don’t have to know where the original herd is, because they will be contacted.”
Trace testing, Durst added, is when the herds the infected animal formerly belonged to are tested. Because this animal was being slaughtered, herds in its location history will be tested, he said. According to Durst, it is believed the infected heifer was also housed in Saginaw and Gratiot counties.
Info from: www.arenacindependent.com/stories/Bovine-TB-discovered-in-Arenac-County-,97909
becky
29 Jul 2013, 12:52 PM
SWITZERLAND Switzerland was free of the disease for 50 years before a surprise outbreak in the canton of Fribourg last year. Recently 7,000 cattle were tested in 15 cantons leading to 200 being destroyed.
Nathalie Rochat from Bvet, the Federal Veterinary Office, says tracing the source of the disease presents numerous problems.
“It’s a great challenge. As soon as an animal is tested positive, every other animal it has been in contact with has to be traced. And that can lead to entire herds being tested. The situation isn’t under control but it’s stable.”
Maybe now other European countries are having outbreaks EU will speed up legislation to allow vaccination?
becky
14 Jun 2013, 5:41 PM
NEW ZEALAND In the UK this country is held up as an example to follow (possums are culled) yet outbreaks are frequent. Six more herds have been identified as infected in the Northland's region. Those herds were linked to the movement of stock off a farm that was found to be infected late last year.
Routine tracing of all stock movements from the TB-infected herds was on-going, TBfree Northland committee chairman Neil MacMillan said, and the infected animals from all seven properties had been sent to slaughter.
Cattle over 12 months of age within a 10- to 15-kilometre radius of Kaitaia had been placed on an annual testing programme, and cattle Tb testing contractors were now working to identify any signs of the disease in other herds. Checks for Tb were also taking place at meat processing plants.
Info from: http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/news/six-more-herds-with-tb/1905890/?dm_i=1NFN,1KQON,906LDO,5F2XQ,1
becky
13 Jun 2013, 6:44 PM
NORTH DAKOTA. TEXAS A beef cow in south central North Dakota that originated in Texas has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in initial tests. The animal was identified as a result of a trace-out investigation in Texas.
State animal health officials say the cow has been removed from the herd and killed. Results of additional testing are expected within two months. Officials say there is no immediate health risk to the general public.
North Dakota has been recognized by the federal government as being TB-free since 1976. A state must have at least two herds test positive for the disease within two years to lose that status.
The state’s last reported case of bovine tuberculosis in a herd was in 1999.
BISMARCK, ND - State Veterinarian Susan Keller says field and laboratory testing indicates that bovine tuberculosis found in a beef cow in south central North Dakota hasn't spread to other animals.
The state Board of Animal Health reported in mid-June that a cow in a herd near Solen had tested positive for bovine TB, a potentially fatal disease that spreads through inhaled bacteria. The cow had come from Texas and moved through a seller in South Dakota.
Keller says 33 other suspect animals in the herd were killed as a precaution. They're still being tested at a laboratory but Keller says the preliminary report shows nothing suspicious.
The remaining animals in the herd are undergoing further testing to meet federal requirements. If no additional bovine TB is found, a quarantine will be lifted.
Info from: www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/testing-shows-no-spread-of-bovine-tb-in-nd/?id=152324
becky
7 May 2013, 7:26 PM
MICHIGAN The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says that offspring purchased from a bovine tuberculosis (TB) positive Saginaw County dairy farm, and traced to farms in Midland and Gratiot counties, are also TB positive.
In March, a Saginaw County dairy farm was discovered to be bovine TB positive when a cull cow with lesions went to slaughter. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service examiners removed the cow and sent it for laboratory testing. As part of its bovine TB response plan, MDARD quarantined the farm and immediately started an investigation into where any deacon calves (bull calves from dairy cows, usually raised for beef) or heifers may have gone.
The search found two small beef herds: one in Midland County and another in Gratiot County, both raising deacon calves from the affected Saginaw County herd. Cattle with a skin test response were euthanized and submitted to Michigan State University’s Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health for laboratory examination. Tissue samples were then sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, which reported the animals were positive for bovine TB.
MDARD will now bovine TB test cattle in two additional special surveillance areas in 10-mile circles around these two farms. Cattle producers will be notified directly by MDARD if they lie within the 10-mile circles. Those contacted will also be given an opportunity to request disease control permits to remove deer as part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ disease surveillance effort in these circles.
UPDATE ADDED 15/5/13
Two cows suspected to be TB-positive were discovered during routine annual testing of an Alcona County cattle herd in February. After dissecting both cows, one was found to have a lesion in a lymph node in its throat. DNA tests confirmed it was bovine TB.
The infected herd, the 57th discovered since 1998, has since been depopulated, Smith said. The United States Department of Agriculture reached this decision after consulting with the farmer, who was compensated for the cows. The farm is in what's known as a modified accredited zone, so no additional testing of nearby farms is required.
Wildlife biologists are now checking animals they caught on the farm for TB, Smith said, adding it's uncertain whether small mammals contribute to spreading the disease. The bacteria is slow-growing, and can sit dormant in an animal for years, so it's extremely difficult to research just how it's spread.
Info from: www.thealpenanews.com/page/content.detail/id/525481/State-holds-meeting-about-bovine-TB-herd.html?nav=5004
becky
1 May 2013, 7:22 PM
NEW ZEALAND - often held up as an example but they do STILL have bTB as the report at www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/8621718/Annual-bovine-TB-tests-loom-in-Taranaki reveals. Annual testing for bovine tuberculosis (TB) is to be introduced on nearly 750 Taranaki properties this year.
The new regime of testing animals more than 12 months old follows the TB outbreak which has infected four dairy herds near Egmont Village and two near Pihama.
Until now TB testing has been undertaken every three years on Taranaki cattle and deer more than two years old.
Animal Health Board (AHB) North Island regional co-ordinator Frank Pavitt said animals on 555 farms and lifestyle blocks within a 10-kilometre radius of Egmont Village and 192 properties within 10km of Pihama would now be tested annually.
Animals due for testing next year or in 2015 would now be tested this year where practical, he said. Those already tested this year would not need to be tested until next year.
Mr Pavitt hopes farmers will see the increased programme of testing as a benefit rather than a burden.
He is appealing to owners of cattle and deer in Taranaki to make sure they register their animals with the AHB to protect their own and their families' health and lifestyle.
Mr McIntyre said the outbreak showed the need to register animals and complete animal status declaration forms so animal movements could be traced.
becky
28 Apr 2013, 6:55 PM
EUROPE A report of a technical meeting of the EFSA Scientific Network for Risk assessment in Animal Health and Welfare - Bovine Tuberculosis Testing
Parma held 21 February 20121 can be found at: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/288e.pdf
Included is the bTB status for several EU countries, including the UK, The Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Spain, Ireland, France, Hungary, Italy and Belgium .
SUMMARY
The Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW) scientific network was created in 2009 with the aim to facilitate scientific cooperation in the field of the EFSA’s mission by coordinating activities, exchanging information, developing and implementing joint projects, exchanging expertise and best practices. During the AHAW scientific network meeting, in November 2011, the subject of bovine tuberculosis (TB) and in particular diagnostic testing for the purpose of disease control and
demonstration of freedom was identified as of common interest. A technical meeting was organised with the objective of sharing information about bovine TB and bovine TB testing data and to assist
EFSA in collecting information relevant to future mandates.
Representatives from 10 Member States participated in the meeting. Based on the experts presentations a summary of the information
concerning the official status on Bovine TB infection of each country and bovine TB testing and surveillance was made. There is large variation on the test and testing protocols used in different MS. These variations refer to the use of both the official bovine TB diagnostic test (tuberculin skin tests) and the ancillary test (IFN-γ BA test) but also and more important on the objectives to achieve. These variations can affect the diagnostic tests accuracy. The different tests and testing protocols are not
adequately described resulting in surveillance data that are difficult to validate and compare. The meeting provided an overview of the issues on the disease surveillance and control and gave the opportunity to identify areas of future collaboration.
