Incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in Great Britain: March 2024
Data on tests, new incidents, restricted herds and cattle slaughtered with bovine TB for March 2024.
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Introduction
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
Figure 1: New herd incidents in Wales, January 2008 to March 2024
Description of Figure 1: A line and bar chart showing the trend in new herd incidents in Wales since 2008. The light blue bars indicate the monthly number of new incidents while the dark line indicates the 12-month rolling average of new incidents.
There were 605 new incidents in the 12 months to March 2024, a decrease of 2.4% compared with the previous 12 months when there were 620 new incidents.
Animals slaughtered for TB control
Figure 2: Animals slaughtered for TB control, January 2008 to March 2024
Description of Figure 2: A line and bar chart showing the trend in animals slaughtered in Wales since 2008. The light blue bars indicate the monthly number of animals slaughtered while the dark line indicates the 12-month rolling average of animals slaughtered.
There were 11,197 animals slaughtered in the 12 months to March 2024, an increase of 16.8% compared with the previous 12 months when there were 9,585 animals 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.
The monthly series is variable, and peaks can be expected from time to time. There had been an increase in the trend until the peak in October 2018 was reached. Further analysis of this trend up to June 2019 has been published in the statistical article: Analysis on the number of animals slaughtered due to bovine TB controls, October 2018 to June 2019.
