ARCHIVE: Bovine TB Eradication Group for England - Summary note

UK (GB) Bovine TB Eradication Plan - Summary note

On 15 September 2009 the UK government submitted a bovine tuberculosis (TB) Eradication Plan for 2010 to the European Commission.  The Commission formally agreed to the Plan on 26 November 2009 following the agreement of Member States at a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 16 October 2009. The plan aims to outline the measures the UK is taking to control the spread of, and progressively eradicate, TB.

The UK bovine TB Eradication Plan for 2010 is a formal document submitted to the European Commission setting out our current programme for the surveillance, control and eradication of TB in cattle in the UK.  It also acts as an application for European Union (EU) funding of some of the TB measures in the programme, for which the Commission have committed up to €10 million in 2010 towards compensation and testing costs.  The plan is presented in two parts: one for Great Britain (GB – England and Wales) and one for Northern Ireland.

This note summarises the GB and Northern Ireland plans.  As this is the first TB eradication plan that has been formally submitted for a long time, the intention is to set out our current strategy and further measures under consideration across England and Wales and Northern Ireland. The structure and  content of the eradication plan is prescribed by EU legislation and the European Commission, as set out in their Decision 2008/425/EC.  The document contains:

  • The epidemiological history of bovine TB in GB, including the history of TB surveillance and control programmes since the beginning of the 20th Century.
  • An overview of the TB programme in GB including the objectives and overall approach.
  • A detailed description of the programme measures to monitor, control and eradicate TB in GB, including how these measures fulfil the requirements of EU legislation, notably Council Directive 64/432/EEC.
  • Epidemiological and policy variations across England and Wales.
  • The benefits and costs of the current TB controls across GB.
  • Data on the epidemiological evolution of TB in England and Wales over the last five years (official TB statistics)
  • Targets for TB testing and estimated costs of the TB programme in Great Britain for 2010.

Scotland is not included within the scope of the plan, since it achieved recognition of its regional Officially Tuberculosis Free status on 8 September 2009.

The Northern Ireland section of the plan is presented separately because of the different epidemiology and history of bovine TB between Northern Ireland and GB.

The plan submitted sets out current TB control policies in operation from 1 January 2010, as well as the latest developments in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  

For England, the plan takes on board recommendations of the TB Eradication Group for England (TBEG) and the sub-group of the European Commission’s Task Force for animal diseases. TBEG published a progress report on 8 October and discussed their recommendations in more detail at a meeting with key stakeholders.

For Wales the Plan sets out the measures being taken forward under the TB Eradication Programme in Wales. Further information on the TB Eradication Programme can be found on the Welsh Assembly Government website (www.wales.gov.uk/bovinetb).

Northern Ireland is also seeking to tighten some measures.

As in previous years, the Commission has published a Decision announcing all the approved disease eradication plans from the Member States and their respective financial allocations. The press release can be seen here. The Plan will be formally published by the Commission on its website early in 2010.

The eradication plan submitted to the Commission will not be a one-off.  As the programme to monitor, control and eradicate TB develops in England and Wales the plan will be updated annually.

Page last modified: 26 November 2009