Incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in Great Britain: September 2021

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

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In the 12 months to September 2021, there were 664 new herd incidents reported in Wales. This is an 8% increase on the previous 12 months, when there were 617 new incidents.

Animals slaughtered for TB control

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In the 12 months to September 2021, 10,551 cattle were slaughtered due to bovine TB control. This is a 4% increase on the previous 12 months, when 10,124 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 had been an increase in the trend since the peak in October 2018 was reached, this has since began to fall. 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.

Reporting frequency

The publication of the August 2020 monthly bTB statistics was the last monthly publication, however, quarterly releases remain. Monthly data will still be provided in the quarterly publication but will only be published each quarter similar to the Welsh Government TB surveillance dashboard. Due to the volatility in monthly data, monthly updates cannot be considered a reliable predictor of overall trends.