BVA has responded to the review of the Government’s 25 year Bovine TB Strategy.
The review, which was commissioned by Environment Secretary Michael Gove and led by population biologist Sir Charles Godfray, aims to inform future strategies around the Government’s goal of eradicating the disease by 2038. BVA’s Senior Vice President John Fishwick gave oral evidence to the review in May.
John Fishwick said: “We are pleased that this review recognises the major role that vets play within TB control and the importance of maintaining strong working relationships with farmers and wider industry. Collaboration and mutual ownership of the task in hand are key to curbing the spread of TB and building on the progress made to date.
“The recommendation for creating a new body to oversee disease control in conjunction with the Livestock Information Programme is one that we would support, provided that the Government taps into veterinary expertise to make this as effective and evidence-based as possible. It’s also positive to see that the report recommends that new testing regimes and approaches to vaccination should be explored, supporting our view that all the tools in the toolbox need to be considered in the fight against Bovine TB.
Follow the link to read the article in full on the BVA website