From 1 July 2014, cattle grazing on common land, in those parts of England (1) where annual herd TB tests are currently required, will be subject to new regulations; all cattle moving onto a common and moving off from a common will have to have a pre-movement test and a post-movement test. The new regulations are set out in Defra guidance note:
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rura...
Previously such movements have been exempt from such tests but the exemption was removed on the 30 June 2014. However to reduce the impact of the regulations on cattle graziers staff from Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) have been working with commoners on Dartmoor to devise a plan that provides sufficient information to enable risk assessments for a common to be undertaken. If the risk assessment suggests the risk of transmitting the disease is low then the programme of testing might be reduced or some of the testing not required to be undertaken at all.
These TB Control Plans will be required for all commons in the area of annual testing and will have to include sufficient information to inform a risk assessment. The Dartmoor TB Control Plan is in three parts; part 1 provides information relevant to all of Dartmoor, part 2 relates to a specific common and part 3 provides guidance to individual cattle graziers on what information they will be required to provide. Such an approach, in three parts, will not be suitable for all commons and usually only part 2 and 3 will be relevant. This model is made available to help other commoners and Common’s Associations prepare their own plans.
A TB Control Plan will have to provide the names and CPH numbers of all the graziers with cattle on that common, the numbers of cattle, area of common and details of its boundaries. Other information will be required including details of any “Holding Areas”(2).
For all those commons that fall into this area and are grazed by cattle it is essential that the Association or cattle graziers contact their local AHVLA office and read the Defra notes. Without a TB Control Plan all cattle movements on and off the common will require TB movement testing. The Dartmoor TB Control Plan was written by farmers, AHVLA, Dartmoor Commoners’ Council and the Dartmoor Hill Farm Project.
Notes:
(1) The area of England where the regulations apply include all the South-West, parts of Southern England and Western counties. See http://ahvla.defra.gov.uk/documents/bovine-tb/pti-map.pdf
(2) A Holding Area is part of the farm where cattle from the common can be held isolated from any other cattle on that holding.
