Rural Payments and Services

Commenting on changes to bovine TB controls and compensation arrangements in Scotland, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to a comprehensive, practical and proportionate programme of actions that will help maintain the current low levels of TB found in Scotland and to safeguard our Officially TB Free status.

“The measures introduced today are intended to incentivise compliance and encourage cattle keepers to follow best practice when purchasing and moving cattle in Scotland and beyond.

Changes include strengthened movement controls for post movement testing, a two tiered cap on compensation levels for individual animals, a reduction in the compensation offered following overdue testing and the extension of the prohibition on testing bovine animals for TB without ministerial consent to include any diagnostic test.

“I have always been clear that there is no single measure for eradicating bovine TB, which is why we have pursued a range of interventions to combat the disease.

These latest arrangements are aimed at reducing disease levels further, but this will only be successful if this new drive is supported by a concerted and concentrated effort by all sectors involved.

Background

The new arrangements come into force under the Tuberculosis (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) (No 2) Order 2018 following a consultation in 2017.

It is important that all cattle keepers familiarise themselves with the new rules for TB and full details on the new arrangements are available here.