BVA concern at CMO call for sick animals to be slaughtered not treated
The British Veterinary Association is calling for a clarification of remarks made by the Chief Medical Officer in which she called for sick animals to be slaughtered rather than treated as part of the strategy to reduce antibiotic resistance in humans. The Daily Mail reports that, speaking at the Cambridge Science Festival, CMO Dame Sally […]
BBC complaint ruling destroys claims that Ireland badger cull has reduced TB
Claims that badger culling in Ireland has contributed to a fall in bovine TB (bTB) rates have been blown out of the water by a significant BBC ruling. The ruling, released today by the BBC Trust, means that a key cornerstone of the British Government’s justification for a cull in England has been destroyed. The […]
Silent Herdsman continues its growth and market penetration with new investment
Silent Herdsman Limited has announced that it has raised £3 million of investment from leading UK institutional investors to support its continuing growth and international expansion. The investment has been made by an investor syndicate led by Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) and comprising Albion Ventures and the Scottish Investment Bank, the investment arm of Scottish […]
First case of Cattle Scab found in Scotland
The first case of Cattle Scab to be confirmed in Scotland since the early 1980’s has been diagnosed by vets from Scotland’s Rural College working at SAC Consulting’s St Boswells Veterinary Investigation Centre. The disease was found on a Borders farm in a calf recently imported, with its suckler cow mother, from outwith Great Britain. […]
MPs vote 219 to 1 against the badger cull
MPs voted overwhelmingly to halt the controversial badger culls in England yesterday. The motion was proposed by the Conservative MP Anne Main and stated that the pilot culls had “decisively failed”. Farming minister George Eustice refused to respond to a challenge to hold a full debate and vote in government time, choosing, rather, to defend the culls, […]
Carbapenems not used in livestock
The recently announced increase in carbapenem resistance in humans led to an Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics inspired article in The Independent on 12 March 2014 calling for a ban on carbapenem use in agriculture. The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) would like to point out that: there are no carbapenem antibiotic […]
Scientists edging nearer to a rapid test for bovine tuberculosis
Scientists are developing a portable testing device which would be capable of detecting bovine tuberculosis in cattle in just a matter of minutes. The major study, involving experts at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), would mean that appropriate measures could be taken more quickly to limit the spread of the infectious disease – which is one […]
90 cattle killed each day due to bovine TB
32,620 cattle were slaughtered in Great Britain due to bovine TB in 2013, new figures released today reveal. This equates to almost 90 cattle being killed each day as a result of the disease. The figures published today also show that the incidence rate – i.e. the proportion of previously TB-free cattle herds found to […]
BBC accepts it was wrong to state that badger culling in Republic Ireland reduced TB in cattle
In a ground-breaking decision the BBC today accepted it was wrong to state that badger culling in the Republic of Ireland had reduced incidences of TB in cattle. The statement was following a complaint from a member of the public concerning an article published on the BBC Website on the 31st May 2013 “How did […]
