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1138807

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help farmers tackle the spread of bovine TB.
tabling member constituency	Wycombe
tabling member printed	Mr Steve Baker
uin	277178
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>We are pursuing a wide range of interventions as part of the Government’s strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England by 2038, including strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, licensing badger control, and promoting biosecurity on farms to help farmers prevent the spread of Bovine TB. Sir Charles Godfray’s independent review (published in November 2018) is an important contribution that will inform next steps in the strategy.</p><p> </p><p>In my Written Ministerial Statement of 20 June 2019, I announced plans to reinforce TB testing in the High Risk Area, invited applications for a third round of the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme and confirmed the licensing and authorisation by Natural England of three supplementary badger control areas for 2019.</p><p> </p><p>Our partnerships with other organisations have enabled the development of toolkits that support farmers to understand their role in the prevention and eradication of the disease, including the TB Hub, the iBTB website and the TB Advisory Service.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 18/07/2019 13:12:16 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4064 label Biography information for Mr Steve Baker

1135779

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of culling badgers on TB rates in cattle.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	271460
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>Rigorous statistical analysis, which adjusts for differences related to the risk of TB in cattle, has been carried out to measure any association between badger culling and cattle TB incidence in comparison to areas where badger culling has not taken place. This analysis covers data from the first two years of culling in Areas 1 and 2 (Gloucestershire and Somerset). It is available at the following link: <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.3254" target="_blank">https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.3254</a></p><p> </p><p>An updated statistical analysis of this data has been submitted to a peer-review journal.</p><p> </p><p>The raw data, can be found on the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-incidence-of-tb-in-cattle-in-licenced-badger-control-areas-in-2013-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-incidence-of-tb-in-cattle-in-licenced-badger-control-areas-in-2013-to-2017</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 09/07/2019 12:24:48 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1135014

registered interest
date	26/06/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for a peer-reviewed analysis of the effectiveness of badger culling in reducing the incidence of Bovine Tuberculosis in cattle herds in areas where badger culling schemes has been running for three years or more.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
uin	269824
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2019 answer text <p>Rigorous statistical analysis, which adjusts for differences related to the risk of TB in cattle, has been carried out to measure any association between badger culling and cattle TB incidence in comparison to areas where badger culling has not taken place. This analysis covers data from four years of culling in Areas 1 and 2 (Gloucestershire and Somerset), and two years of culling in Area 3 (Dorset), and has been submitted to a peer-review journal.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 04/07/2019 13:34:14 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1124131

registered interest
date	01/05/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for a strategy to manage bovine TB in the countryside without using badger culling; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Tewkesbury
tabling member printed	Mr Laurence Robertson
uin	249821
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2019 answer text <p>A successful strategy for eradicating bovine TB involves addressing all routes of spread of infection, including cattle-to-cattle, cattle-to-badger, badger-to-badger and badger-to-cattle.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Government’s 25 year bovine TB eradication strategy, we are taking strong action to eradicate the disease and protect the future of our dairy and beef industries, with emphasis on detecting infection early in cattle herds, containing and removing it as quickly as possible, and tighter biosecurity. We also enable farmers and landowners to carry out badger culling and/or badger vaccination, subject to strict licensing criteria by Natural England.</p><p> </p><p>Sir Charles Godfray’s review of the strategy is an important contribution that will inform future approaches around our goal of eradicating the disease in England by 2038.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 09/05/2019 15:15:19 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	253 label Biography information for Mr Laurence Robertson

1124409

registered interest
date	01/05/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cattle have been tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and then following slaughter have been negative on post-mortem testing; and what progress has been made in producing an accurate test before cattle are slaughtered.
tabling member printed	Baroness Golding
uin	HL15458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2019 answer text <p>The early detection and removal of tuberculosis (TB)-infected cattle before they develop advanced pathology and/or clinical signs of the disease (and thus become highly infectious) is a key element of bovine TB eradication programmes, including England’s 25 Year Bovine TB Strategy. To that effect, we use ante-mortem tests that measure the animals’ immune response to infection with the bovine TB bacterium (<em>Mycobacterium bovis – M. bovis</em>), rather than rely on direct detection methods.</p><p> </p><p>The single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) test, commonly known as the ‘skin test’, together with the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), is the legal standard approved in the EU legislation for the diagnosis of TB in live cattle in the UK. As with cases of TB in humans, only a proportion of those animals infected with <em>M. bovis</em> and reacting to a tuberculin skin test or IGRA display gross lesions of TB when subjected to post-mortem meat inspection in the slaughterhouse.</p><p> </p><p>In 2017 (the last year for which an analysis of post-mortem findings is available), approximately 60% of the 32,000 cattle compulsorily removed for bovine TB control reasons in England as skin test reactors or IGRA positives did not have visible lesions of TB on post-mortem and were also negative for <em>M. bovis</em> on bacteriological culture (where performed).</p><p> </p><p>Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are constantly striving for new ways to maximise the effectiveness of TB testing of cattle to achieve the objectives of the Strategy. APHA may exceptionally authorise the private use of non-validated diagnostic tests for bovine TB in herds where the disease is persistent, in order to help detect additional infected animals that may have been missed by the approved official tests (rather than to negate a positive result to such tests). A policy position paper on non-validated diagnostics for TB in cattle is now available on the APHA Vet Gateway (<a href="http://apha.defra.gov.uk/vet-gateway/index.htm" target="_blank">http://apha.defra.gov.uk/vet-gateway/index.htm</a>).</p><p> </p><p>Over £4 million was allocated to TB research and development in 2018/19, with the anticipation of a similar spend this financial year. The majority of these finds are being invested in improving diagnostic tests alongside vaccine development. However, validation for a new test to World Organisation for Animal Health standards would only lead to official adoption if it demonstrated proven advantages in the detection of disease alongside the current test portfolio.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 16/05/2019 16:25:10 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	281 label Biography information for Baroness Golding

1109457

registered interest
date	03/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2019 to Question 213911 on bovine tuberculosis: disease control, for what reason that correction was issued; and what the figures referred to in the original answer to that question.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	240477
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2019 answer text <p>A revised answer was issued because the original question asked about one specific cull area in Dorset, whereas the original answer provided data for the entire county of Dorset.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 09/04/2019 15:06:35 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1064469

registered interest
date	20/02/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many holdings in the High Risk Bovine TB control area were interferon-gamma tested in 2018.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	224019
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2019 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 5 February 2019 to PQs 213921 and 214457.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 01/03/2019 12:46:12 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1064471

registered interest
date	20/02/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of the holdings that were interferon-gamma tested in 2018 in the High Risk Bovine TB control area in England were tested on account of (a) being located in an areas that had completed two years of successful badger population control, (b) there being clear evidence that repeated skin testing has failed to resolve a TB breakdown and (c) the APHA veterinary investigation concluding that the most likely transmission route for the affected herd was contact with infected cattle and that measures are in place to prevent further spread of disease from that source.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	224023
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2019 answer text <p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) record and report surveillance information for interferon gamma testing in the Bovine TB High Risk Area of England.</p><p> </p><p>The number of holdings that were interferon-gamma tested in 2018 in the Bovine TB High Risk Area in England are shown in the table below.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘other reasons’ row includes all other reasons for testing - for which the data cannot be separated - except serial tests which are only used in very specific cases when anomalous reactions such as interference with the test is suspected.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Holdings</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Samples</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of holdings located in badger control area (a)</p></td><td><p>140</p></td><td><p>31,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Evidence that repeated skin testing failed to resolve a TB Breakdown (b)</p></td><td><p>102</p></td><td><p>44,572</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other reasons, including but not exclusively APHA investigation concluding most likely transmission was contact with infected cattle (c)</p></td><td><p>34</p></td><td><p>6,083</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 01/03/2019 12:48:02 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1054882

registered interest
date	04/02/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to reduce the number of cattle destroyed as a result of false positive Gamma blood tests.
tabling member constituency	South West Wiltshire
tabling member printed	Dr Andrew Murrison
uin	216228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2019 answer text <p>The interferon-gamma test is a supplementary blood test that has been used alongside the primary tuberculin skin test in Great Britain since 2006 in order to maximise the detection of TB-infected animals in certain herds affected by TB breakdowns.</p><p>No diagnostic test is perfectly accurate and there is a trade-off between the sensitivity and specificity of a test. The interferon-gamma test is more sensitive than the skin test, which means it is less likely to miss TB-infected animals (approximately 1 in 10 infected animals compared with 1 in 4 for the skin test). However, it is less specific than the skin test (on average 3-4 false positives per 100 disease-free animals tested). Even so, it is incorrect to assume that all interferon-gamma positive animals with no visible lesions of TB at slaughter represent false positive results.</p><p>That is why the interferon-gamma test is, with few exceptions, only used in fully confirmed (lesion and/or culture positive) TB breakdown herds. In such herds the predictive value of a positive interferon-gamma test result is maximised and the cost of taking out low numbers of false positive animals is outweighed by the benefit of earlier and more complete detection of all TB-infected animals in the herd. This in turn reduces the risks of repeat (recurrent) TB breakdowns in the same herd and spreading the disease to other herds as a result of the incomplete elimination of all the infected animals.</p><p>In 2018/2019, over £4 million has been allocated to Defra’s bovine TB research and development programme, which includes research on improved and novel diagnostic tests for bovine TB.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 08/02/2019 13:06:11 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison

1052173

registered interest
date	31/01/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) holdings were tested for bovine tuberculosis, (b) animals were tested in each of those holdings and (c) of those animals tested positive using the interferon gamma test in each county of England in 2018.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	215074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2019 answer text <p>Data on tuberculin skin testing for parts (a) and (b) is not held in the form requested. Published statistical data sets show that there were 67,137 tests on herds in the 10 months to October 2018. Total cattle tests in the same period amounted to 8,278,885. The full year figures for 2018 will not be available until March 2019, because the data has to meet the Code of Practice for Statistics. The data sets, which include county level data, and explanatory notes can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain</a></p><p> </p><p>The numbers of cattle that tested positive to the interferon gamma test in each county of England in 2018 is set out in the attached table.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 06/02/2019 16:49:16 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice attachment 1 file name Gamma testing - all counties.docx title Gamma testing data for England
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew