22 Mar Policy and procedural updates and reminders
Tuberculin out of the fridge
A recent update via the OV briefing system reminded practices that tuberculin should never be returned to the fridge once it has been removed for use. The breaks in cold-chain storage that occur once tuberculin has been delivered to your practice render the stability of tuberculin less certain and the Authority would prefer that unused tuberculin is discarded. The on-farm paperwork templates provided by Farmcare have now been amended to provide space to record tuberculin not used but discarded after being taken to a test.
Tuberculin is expensive stuff (around 15p per dose we think) so it is certainly worth reviewing procedures and encouraging all practice staff to try to ensure that they remove the minimum amount needed for their planned work while obviously ensuring that they carry a small amount of contingency stock to cover the inevitably unexpected animals!
TB181
APHA have recently announced that the TB181 form, which has to be given to farmers after disclosure of reactors or IRs, can now be issued electronically to farmers in on-going herd breakdowns providing certain conditions are met. It must still be issued in hard copy at the first breakdown.
The other conditions are that;
• the isolation requirements and details contained within the TB181 are explained to the farm staff using a hard copy (e.g. laminated) or an electronic version (e.g. on a smart phone or tablet)
• the form is issued whilst the tester is still on the farm
• the tester is able to demonstrate that they retain a record of issuing the form. i.e. that they can, if necessary, retrieve the electronic Information Note (TB181) completed with the appropriate details including evidence of when it was sent and to whom.
APHA point out it is the tester’s responsibility to ensure the farmer is given the information on the Information Note (TB181) in a format that is appropriate to the particular cattle keeper, and to make sure there is a record that it has been provided whilst meeting any legal data protection requirements.
More information can be found at http://apha.defra.gov.uk/External_OV_Instructions/Approved_Tuberculin_Testers_England/Skin_Test/Skin_Test_Day_Two.html and an interactive pdf version of the TB181 is available at http://apha.defra.gov.uk/external-operations-admin/library/documents/tuberculosis/TB181.pdf
The form can be downloaded to a smart phone or other device and edited to contain the farm and TB tester details before it is issued.
Gamma testing
A new IFN-gamma testing policy was implemented in the HRA and the six-monthly testing parts of the Edge Area of England on 12th July 2021. The policy in the annually testing parts of the Edge Area and the Low Risk Area (LRA) remains the same.
The new policy targets recurrent breakdown herds in the HRA and the six-monthly testing parts of the Edge Area instead of herds in badger culling areas. All new TB breakdowns are assessed against a criterion for recurrence. If the herd has had a breakdown with lesion and/or culture positive animals in the previous 18 months, then it requires a mandatory gamma test.
Please note that the second-generation TB testing contracts allow no provision for uplift payment should gamma testing take place at the same time as the skin test. Please get in touch with UK Farmcare if you feel that your skin test arrangements have been disrupted by gamma testing. APHA have undertaken to avoid concurrent testing as much as they can and certainly to liaise closely with practices prior to making arrangements to test concurrently.
The Cattle TB vaccine and the ‘DIVA’ TB test
Phase 1 of the cattle vaccine and DIVA skin test (Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals) field trials started in July 2021. This initial phase of the trials will investigate the specificity of the test and confirm the safety of the DIVA skin test in unvaccinated cattle on a small number of TB free farms in the LRA of England and Low TB Area of Wales. If successful, the study will then be expanded to more farms in England and Wales as part of Phase 2 to test both the cattle BCG vaccine and DST-F together.
More information on this study is available on the APHA Science Blog and TB hub.
All these updates and plenty of other helpful information on TB controls can be accessed via the TB Hub https://tbhub.co.uk/