Rural Payments and Services

Legislation covering specified non-bovine species comes into force.

New legislation to further protect Scotland’s livestock from Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) comes into effect today.

Bovine TB is a serious infectious disease of cattle that can be passed on to other animals. Under the new rules, specified non-bovine animals – including alpaca, sheep and farmed deer - will now be subject to a regime of TB controls where incidents are disclosed.

The measures are designed to protect Scotland’s official TB-free status and won support from industry and keepers in a Scottish Government consultation last year.

Rural Affairs and the Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

“Scotland has been officially TB free since 2009 and we want to stay that way.

“The cattle industry is already strictly regulated for TB but those legal powers in Scotland did not specifically cover controls of non-bovine species, except deer, where TB is strongly suspected or confirmed.

“The new measures coming into force today will address that gap and ensure Scotland is fully prepared to deal with any TB outbreaks that might arise.

“The controls will also give us the powers to provide keepers of these non-bovine species with statutory compensation for animals slaughtered as a result of TB.”