What I find of greatest concern about this whole issue is that so many people fail to question the basics of the whole bTB programme, despite its huge cost to taxpayers. As cattle owners personally affected as a family by bTB policy, I have studied this subject fairly intensively over the last 2 years and read tomes on the subject. There are far more questions than answers (see
Bovine TB: Questioning the Existing Policy) - many of these are fundamentals and if they cannot be answered then the existing policy is suspect. There are, of course, sectors that have significant financial interests in seeing the existing regime continue. However, we have now got to the stage where the detrimental affects on both humans and animals as a result of existing policy are far worse than any risk of the disease itself. It has been refreshing to see that scientists are beginning to question policy. ‘Public Health and bovine tuberculosis – what’s all the fuss about’ is a recently published report by Dr Paul R Torgerson and Professor David J Torgenson. It is a very well researched and referenced, concluding that bTB control in cattle is irrelevant as a public health policy and there is little evidence either for a positive cost benefit in terms of animal health of bTB control. It suggests that such evidence is required; otherwise there is little justification for the large sums of money spent on bTB control in the UK. We already have reports that conclude culling of badgers is not good value for money and yet financial analysis of the existing programme has not been assessed - despite the huge costs to the taxpayer. A radical re-think is needed.