Taylor Vinters - Solicitors

Published by Louise Border

Agriculture Minister Jim Paice has confirmed the locations for the first two pilot schemes to tackle the spread of bovine TB among cattle in the UK.

A pair of areas in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset have been selected from a shortlist of proposed locations for the scheme to get underway.

The devastating impact of bovine TB on the UK's agricultural sector caused the enforced slaughter of 25,000 infected cattle in 2010, with the government predicting the disease will cost the industry upwards of £1 billion over the next ten years.

Mr Paice commented: "Bovine TB is a chronic and devastating disease. It causes the slaughter of tens of thousands of cattle each year and is taking a terrible toll on our farmers and rural communities.

"Natural England will now assess applications against a set of strict criteria. If these are not met, licences will not be granted."

Criteria set out by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) include a high incidence of TB already present in cattle and the area must be at least 150 sq km, with access to at least 70 per cent of it.

He added there are a number of robust measures already to control the spread of the disease among cattle, which the government plans to strengthen further, while also continuing to work towards the development of practical and usable vaccines.

The news follows an announcement by Defra last month of the formation of a new advice service for those working in the UK's agricultural sector.

Announcing the launch of the new Farming Advice Service, Mr Paice argued the facility is aimed at becoming the first port of call for UK farmers who wish are seeking advice on a range of issues, including cross compliance, nutrient management, competitiveness, as well as climate change adaption and mitigation.

Please contact Adam Bradley, Head of Food and Agriculture for further information or call 01223 225275