Incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in Great Britain: December 2019

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Statistics release, on which this statistical headline is based, includes statistics on the basis of the Wales TB areas.

New TB herd incidents

• In the 12 months to December 2019, there were 665 new herd incidents reported in Wales.
• This is an 11% decrease on the previous 12 months, when there were 745 new incidents.

Animals slaughtered for TB control

• In the 12 months to December 2019, 12,256 cattle were slaughtered due to bovine TB control.
• This is a 9% increase on the previous 12 months, when 11,231 cattle were slaughtered.

Further information

The overall trend for animals slaughtered due to bovine TB control is variable. Much of the rise since 2014 is attributable to increased use of high-sensitivity testing. For example, gamma-testing, removal of Inconclusive Reactors (IRs) and severe interpretation of the skin test have all been used with the intention of clearing up infection and reducing the risk of the disease spreading and breakdowns recurring.

As the chart shows, the monthly series is extremely variable and peaks can be expected from time to time. There has been an increase in the series since the peak in October 2018 was reached. Further analysis has been published in the statistical article: Analysis on the number of animals slaughtered due to bovine TB controls, October 2018 to June 2019