Most of slaughtered herd were TB free (From Western Telegraph)

Most of slaughtered herd were TB free

Just two of the 46 cows slaughtered last week following a bovine TB test at a Pembrokeshire farm had lesions.

Vaughan Jenkins and his family were offered a gamma interferon blood test because of an on-going TB problem in their friesian dairy herd.

Mr Jenkins, who lost several fourth-generation cows from his pedigree-closed herd, is now questioning the reliability of the test.

"I only agreed to the test because I was led to believe we had a problem in the herd. I do wonder if we would have lost so many stock if we had just had the skin test," said Mr Jenkins of Stember Farm, Poyston Cross.

He acknowledges that further cases could be revealed in the next two months from cultures of individual blood samples, but he is not convinced.

The lesions were found in two cows from the first group of 23 to be slaughtered and he had the opportunity of sparing the heifers.

The outcome was decided by a family vote. "There were four of us around the kitchen table and we had a paper vote.

"The majority wanted to go ahead with the cull because of the niggling uncertainty that they might be harbouring TB.

"It had weighed very heavily on me that I had taken the initial decision to have the blood test and I didn't want to take this further one alone".

Mr Jenkins said he was not apportioning blame, but wanted other farmers to be aware that the blood test could not be relied upon.

"I wouldn't wish what we have been through on anyone else," he said. "The Welsh Assembly is paying out huge sums of money to compensate for stock slaughtered unnecessarily. More must be done to make these tests reliable."

The Welsh Assembly defended the gamma interferon test, suggesting that some animals, which show no visible signs of disease, may be in the early stages of infection.

Using the blood test in conjunction with the conventional skin test was subject to certain criteria and optional, said a spokesman.

But it could increase the detection of infected cattle in an on-going, confirmed bovine TB incident.

"The herd owner has to agree that their herd can have the gamma interferon test and understand that it could lead to more positive tests and the animals being removed and compensation paid,'' said the spokesman.

The gamma interferon test, he added, was generally only used when herd owners are doing their best to reduce the spread of infection into and within their herd.

Replacing culled pedigree stock is the next hurdle for the Jenkins' to overcome. They doubt whether they will buy in replacement friesians, but will wait for their own stock to come through.