New tools and advice to help farmers protect stock from TB, including guidance in relation to pigs, have been unveiled by the government as part of a new campaign to help eradicate bovine TB.
All advice on the issue from government, farming experts, leading vets and agricultural colleges is now available on one single website, with a page devoted to pigs and wild boar.
The new TB hub website is described as the “go-to” place for farmers to find practical advice on dealing with bovine TB on their farm, covering everything from biosecurity measures to understanding trading rules.
Backed by Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, the National Farmers’ Union, the British Cattle Veterinary Association and Landex, the hub is geared to both promote action and to help famers and vets protect their stock.
While aimed primarily at beef and dairy producers, the hub includes advice for pig farmers, stating that for pigs and wild boar, the oral route is considered to be the main way in which pigs can become infected.
“Most cases are attributed to contact with wildlife but other potential routes could be ingestion of untreated milk or milk products from infected cows or consumption of feedstuffs contaminated by wildlife,” it is stated.
“There is no active surveillance for TB in pigs; cases will tend to be identified at post-slaughter inspection or at post-mortem in a veterinary laboratory. TB is not considered to be particularly contagious amongst pigs or to spread easily from pigs to other animals.”
The point is also made that there is no statutory compensation for pigs.
Headline image shows the tbhub.co.uk pig page