TB Testing Intervals 2012

Defra, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government are committed to setting TB herd testing intervals that are aligned with the regional risks of bovine TB and comply with EU legislation.  This is achieved by carrying out, with AHVLA, a national review of TB testing intervals on an annual basis.

TB testing intervals 2012

The parish testing interval (PTI) is the default frequency of routine TB testing for all cattle herds situated in a parish (as determined by their CPH number). In certain circumstances, however, the testing frequency for a given herd may be different to that of other herds in the parish. If that is the case, AHVLA will inform the affected herd owner accordingly.

In England, herd owners will be written to annually to advise them of their TBtesting intervals. Herd owners in Scotland and Wales will only be written to if their TB testing interval changes. Historically, TB testing intervals have been calculated by monitoring the level of TB in a given area in the previous six years, however alternative approaches are now being taken by England, Scotland and Wales. In 2010, a more risk based approach to setting routine TB testing intervals was applied in England, and it has been agreed that this approach will continue in 2012, as outlined below.

Parish and herd testing intervals are the criteria by which herd owners are either eligible for, or exempt from, pre-movement testing requirements.

2012 TB Testing Intervals for England, Wales and Scotland

Find out your parish testing interval for 2012 - testing interval search.

Alternatively, download the complete lists for England, Scotland and Wales below.

England

A different approach has been applied to calculating TB testing intervals in England from 2010.

TB testing intervals have traditionally been calculated using historical TB incidence figures which ‘follow’ the spread of infection. Since 2010 the Government has followed the TB Eradication Group (TBEG) recommendation for development of a proactive approach to testing frequencies, which sets the TB testing intervals on the basis of the current disease picture using a range of epidemiological evidence. The approach used since 2010 is therefore more proactive than the previous arrangement, as it looks to ensure that herds in high TB risk areas  are tested annually and the testing programme is aimed at ensuring that we are ahead of the spread of infection from the high TB incidence areas. The more coherent distribution of testing intervals across England that has been adopted since 2010 and will continue into 2012 is more consistent with the risk and the epidemiology of bovine TB in each region.

There is evidence that indicates there has been some further geographical spread and increased risk of TB in certain areas. As a result, for 2012 the core annual testing area has been expanded in Cheshire, West Midlands and Warwickshire , and there has also been a widening in some areas of the two year testing buffer separating the core annual testing area from the low TB incidence (background four-yearly testing) areas of the East and North of England. In doing this the two year testing buffer and background four year testing areas have been brought in line with the requirements of EU legislation (Directive 64/432/EEC (as amended)).

Please read the Question and Answer (PDF 122KB) document and the policy (PDF 77KB) document for more details on England’s approach to TB testing intervals since 2010.

The new TB testing intervals in England come into effect on 1st January 2012 and are detailed below in the ‘England PTI List’. AHVLA is writing to herd owners individually to confirm what their parish testing interval and herd testing interval will be.

• England PTI List (PDF 952KB)

Wales

The Welsh Government has decided that all of Wales will require annual TB testing in 2012. As a consequence of annual testing, all cattle keepers in Wales will have to comply with Pre-Movement Testing requirements on cattle movements from 1 January 2010.

• Wales TB Testing Intervals List (PDF 82KB)

Scotland

Scotland is recognised as Officially TB Free and the default testing interval is 48 months.  Some herds are exempt from routine herd testing following a risk-based approach.  AHVLA have written to all keepers of exempt herds that had been scheduled for a Routine Herd Test (RHT) in 2012.  AHVLA intend to write to all cattle keepers in Scotland stating whether or not their herd is exempt from TB testing.  This will happen in 2012 and be repeated annually

The link below is a list of parishes in Scotland and their TB testing Intervals.

• Scotland TB Testing Intervals List (PDF 58KB)

Map of TB Testing Intervals

A GB map of the TB testing intervals from 1st January 2012 is available:

• GB TB TB Testing Interval Map (PDF 3.4Mb)