APHA incompetence

[Foregoneconclusion]

Tb reading of 5 IR animals on 22nd of April.

5 were repeat IR's

Bugger.

2 weeks later i rang APHA to ask why i had not been contacted.. vets did likewise.. no response.. well it was a friday..!

So following Monday i rang them again.. all hell breaks loose with panic almost at palpable levels during repeated 'phone calls and agitated admin staff we got confirmation that the behemoth of vaccuous policy was finally moving.

2 days later i got 2 envelopes... with only 4 of the 5 repeats on the list.. day after 2 more envelopes and accompanying rainforest of forms designed 20 years ago complete with really helpful web links in blue and underlined so i could see them easily and click on them.... then a further 2 enevelopes with re-interpreted test results and accompanying news.
Then Sat 4 more envelopes...with more guff and witless information like make sure badgers can't get at feed troughs/ water troughs, and make sure your buildings are badger proof..Both incredibly useful if i was 5 and don't graze my livestock...etc

so that is 9 envelopes in the space of a week... and a delay of 3 weeks in dealing with reactors.

Why are these folk still sending stuff out by post ..frequently with identical info ..

Valuer came this morning..

he was late because the AHLA had given him the wrong postcode.... despite me giving the hq clear instructions ..

As a Dairy farmer in Wales of some 25 years I am used to witless empty headed policy and the carrying out of said policy but this ridiculous avalance of papers and delay had elevated my irritation to previously unknown heights...

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Don’t get me started on tb the whole thing is a shambles.

 

[redsloe]

Don’t get me started on tb the whole thing is a shambles.

It getting bogged down. Defra think the answer is to test more often. Its not going to do anything except increase the number of reactors which will compound things more.
Pre movement testing and animals over 24mths and leave it to that.

 

[jondear]

It's the norm I'm afraid once you have a reactor.or irs arrrsholeees

 

[Foregoneconclusion]

I have been under restriction on and off repeatedly for at least 20 years so am familiar with the processes..and as you all say it is an utter shambles.. there seems to be zero effort to making the process less stressful..

 

[linga]

Two envelopes from APHA arrived the other day.
first one opened. As expected we are open
Second envelope. We are closed
Third envelope the next day. We are open again.

 

[Princess Pooper]

 

[deleted user 837354]

It getting bogged down. Defra think the answer is to test more often. Its not going to do anything except increase the number of reactors which will compound things more.
Pre movement testing and animals over 24mths and leave it to that.

Agreed. I'd bin the current policy. Pre-movement testing of individual beasts moving off farm except to slaughter and bi-annual herd tests of anything over 24 months of age. Leave it at that. Waste of time testing diddy calves and youngstock. Carry on with wildlife culls.

 

[vantage]

Agreed. I'd bin the current policy. Pre-movement testing of individual beasts moving off farm except to slaughter and bi-annual herd tests of anything over 24 months of age. Leave it at that. Waste of time testing diddy calves and youngstock. Carry on with wildlife culls.

Please do come and talk to old Drakey, in the Welsh Assembly. Apparently people who voted Labour, did so because Labour said that there would be no culling of stripeys! You couldn’t make it up!

 

[Werzle]

I dont understand why every holding in the country cannot just have an annual tbt on severe reading with reactors removed . Do pre-movements on severe too but have no restrictions at all. Even if you have a reactor at an annual or pre movement you can still buy and sell and also have no follow up tests. Tb testing is a costly farce to all involved including the tax payer and the risk to health is tiny .

 

[milkloss]

Yup. Annual and premovement testing nationally and pcr test on all badgers sets within a radius of each positive farm and cull accordingly. PCR was good enough for wuflu, good enough for tb badgers.

 

[deleted user 837354]

I dont understand why every holding in the country cannot just have an annual tbt on severe reading with reactors removed . Do pre-movements on severe too but have no restrictions at all. Even if you have a reactor at an annual or pre movement you can still buy and sell and also have no follow up tests. Tb testing is a costly farce to all involved including the tax payer and the risk to health is tiny .

The main risk to human health from bovine TB is from fudging handling the animals repeatedly and someone getting trampled or kicked.

 

[Rossymons]

Sadly I don't think we will see this country getting TB Free status. Just look at the size of the industry in PMT alone. Too many people are now tied up in this cottage industry and making a living off the back of it.

 

[sidjon]

We dealt with them since 91 for tb, we ring office on the Monday if we've had reactors from the following week, I'm a total PIA to them , cattle normally gone within 5 working day, I need diseased animals removed ASAP, they don't seem to understand that, office staff are mostly head stuck up they arse unfortunately.

 

[Sid]

I have forms emailed by APHA.

Have found them recently to have been very much on the ball

 

[The Son]

At our last meeting our case vet rather proudly announced he had been dealing with TB for over 30 years and was quite the expert in it. At this point my wife lost "her sh*t" and pointed out amongst other things he should be ashamed of himself.

We are no longer dealing with TB, we are dealing with the government departments that have grown around it and have no desire at all to see the end of the disease that their pay packets rely on.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

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