All cattle herds are classed as officially TB free (OTF) if their tuberculosis (TB) tests are up to date and there is no suspicion of TB infection. If TB is suspected, then cattle are put under restrictions and the OTF status is suspended.
A veterinary officer or inspector from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will complete a disease investigation to:
assess the TB breakdown and its possible origin
implement control measures to prevent the spread to other herds
The documents explain in detail what happens if bovine TB is identified or suspected in a cattle herd. Theres information on:
investigation of the TB breakdown
reactor animals
dealing with milk from reactors
valuation, slaughter and compensation
inconclusive reactors
withdrawal of officially TB free status
cleansing and disinfection
disposal of slurry and manure
testing during a breakdown
cattle movements on and off restricted holdings
Published 1 April 2014 Last updated 1 February 2024 +show all updates
This guidance has been updated due to legislative changes in Wales on 1 February 2024.
Updated the guidance 'Dealing with TB in your herd: what to do if bovine TB is detected in your herd in Wales'. Updated information about movement to approved finishing units and movement through a dedicated sale for TB restricted cattle.
Because of legislative changes in Scotland on 18 May 2023, the Scotland guidance has been updated. The sections which have changed are: If you have TB positive (reactor) animals, how your compensation is calculated, removal and slaughter of reactors by APHA, movements to TB restricted and approved facilities in England. The section on removal and slaughter of reactors by private arrangement has been removed.
Updated 'dealing with TB in your herd: what to do if bovine TB is detected in your herd in Wales'. The sections with changes are: If your herd has a TB breakdown; Officially TB free status suspended (OTFS); Officially TB free status withdrawn (OTFW); Post-mortem examination of reactor cattle; IRs identified in non-breakdown herds; Short interval tests; Interferon gamma and IDEXX antibody tests for M.bovis; Testing after the removal of restrictions; Movement to approved TB isolation units.
The guidance 'Dealing with TB in your herd: what to do if bovine TB is detected in your herd in Scotland' has been updated throughout. The PDF 'Dealing with TB in your herd: what happens if TB is identified in your herd (Scotland)' has been removed. It's been replaced with an accessible HTML attachment.
Updated Welsh language version of the Wales guidance.
Wales guidance updated. Changes to Wales policies on officially TB free status withdrawn (OTFW) and on inconclusive reactors (IRs) apply from 17 January 2022.
The PDF 'Dealing with TB in your herd: what happens if TB is identified in your herd (Wales)' has been replaced with the HTML document 'Dealing with TB in your herd: what to do if bovine TB is detected i
