Lackham Farm - Tuberculosis(TB) testing

All cattle herds, except beef fattening units, are routinely tested for TB. The frequency of the test depends on how many cases of TB there have been in the area. TB testing is carried out by a vet. The vet carries out 6 steps in TB testing.

step 1

STEP 1
The animal is put in a cattle crush. The TB test is carried out in the middle third of neck.

step 2

STEP 2
The animal is clipped using curved scissors to thin out its coat for more accurate skin measurement.

step 3

STEP 3
Callipers are used to measure skin diameter.

step4

STEP 4
A control is injected intradermally, 0.1ml avian strain TB. A red tipped syringe is used to distinguish between the control and the test injection.

step 5

STEP 5 0.1ml bovine TB strain is then injected intradermally lower down in the neck region. The basis of the test is that animals infected with TB will give a local reaction(swelling) at thesite of the injection.

step 6

STEP 6
3 days later the vet returns and measures where injected to see if lump or swelling appears. Comparison is made between the reaction to the bovineTB and the reaction at the other injection site. If the bovine injection site is greater by 4mm or more the animal fails the test

If none of the cattle react to the skin test and no lump or swelling appears, they've passed the test and no further action is necessary, until the next routine TB test.

The Government's policy for controlling TB is their programme of testing cattle and slaughtering any that react 'positively' to the test. The Government gives the farmer 100% compensation for any cattle slaughtered.

The slaughtered animals are examined for any signs of TB and samples are taken for laboratory analysis. If TB is detected in the lab, a TB 'incident' otherwise known as a 'breakdown' is confirmed. No cattle are allowed in or out of the herd unless sent direct to a slaughterhouse, under a licence and conditions specified by the Agriculture Department, to prevent the possibility of TB spreading.
If TB is not detected, the remaining animals in the herd are tested again after 60 days. If this test does not pick up positive reactions, the herd is considered free of TB and all restrictions are lifted, but if this test identifies any positive reactions, they are slaughtered and the farmer is paid compensation. A further skin test is carried out on the remaining animals in the herd after 60 days.