Are cattle responsible for rise in bovine TB? (From Western Telegraph)

Are cattle responsible for rise in bovine TB?

On the day more than 300 vets called for a 'strategic cull' of badgers to control the spread of bovine TB, a west Wales-based conservation group claimed evidence suggested cattle were largely responsible for escalation of the disease.

Michael Sharratt, the Whitland-based spokesman for Badger Watch and Rescue Dyfed, said figures released by DEFRA revealed a rise in TB counties with few or no previous outbreaks after the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic.

Although farmers accept cattle had a role to play in the spread of TB, Pembrokeshire NFU county chairman, Stephen James, said the disease must be controlled in the wildlife population.

His concern was shared by hundreds of vets who say badgers are mainly responsible for passing the disease on to cattle.

On Friday they signed an open letter in which they called for a vote of no confidence in environment secretary Margaret Beckett. They expressed their despair with the government's "inadequate approach".

But Michael Sharratt believed the DEFRA figures and the Government's decision not to restrict cattle movements disputed this. "It is therefore now clear that the primary focus of any bovine TB control strategy must be cattle,'' he said.

Stephen James, of Gelli Olau Farm, Bethesda, who has lost 50 cows through TB controls, admitted there was a degree of cattle to cattle spread.

"No-one has ever argued that isn't the case but what is apparent is that both are problems and both need sorting,'' he said.

Since his TB outbreak he has isolated his farm from neighbouring holdings and has not imported any cattle. But he still has a TB problem.

This, he said, could be down to the absence of any control on badger populations. "There are rigorous tests in place to curtail the spread of the disease in cattle, but there are no such controls for badgers. This really does need addressing,'' he said.