Re: Need advice about what to do after a TB reactor in cattle

[gone up the hill]

North Shropshire and I'm quite shocked by the fact that 6 of them are reactors.

What is the TB situation with your neighbours?

 

[Guest]

I've been told that one of the neighbours has gone down with it with some of his herd but otherwise I'm not too sure about any of the other neighbours.

 

[gone up the hill]

I've been told that one of the neighbours has gone down with it with some of his herd but otherwise I'm not too sure about any of the other neighbours.

I would get them to let you do a whole herd test asap.

Do you fluke your cattle?

 

[matthew]

Why do you think you have false positives? You aren't going by the lack of Visible Lesions are you?

It has not been used in endemic areas, with good reason. Proposals currently on the table are to use it.
Several years ago a few farmers with lorry loads of gamma reactors challenged its use. While the case went through the High Court, the cattle remained.
The cases were lost, cattle slaughtered after 6-8 months. Only a very few showed early lesions. 2 out of 80 in one case.(Yewdall)

More here and how gamma came to be used.

http://bovinetb.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/his-masters-voice-gammaifn.html

 

[Guest]

Had the other cattle tested and 17 were reactors and several of the others are inconclusives.

 

[GTB]

Had the other cattle tested and 17 were reactors and several of the others are inconclusives.

Sorry to hear that. Is this a large % of the herd ? If so they might take the whole lot.

 

[Guest]

We have around 37 at the moment and many of those are calves.

 

[exmoor dave]

That's really sh'te news, I'm sorry to hear that

 

[matthew]

That's really sh'te news, I'm sorry to hear that

^^^^^ Can’t like that, but agree with @exmoor dave

 

[hendrebc]

Had the other cattle tested and 17 were reactors and several of the others are inconclusives.

 

[GTB]

We have around 37 at the moment and many of those are calves.

If you have 17 reactors plus a few IR out of 37 I suspect they will take the lot. I might be wrong though.

 

[gone up the hill]

If you have 17 reactors plus a few IR out of 37 I suspect they will take the lot. I might be wrong though.

I think sadly you will be correct!

 

[jackrussell101]

Makes you want to exit cattle farming.

My friend did and switched to sheep and is much happier, had another one switch to free range hens same thing.

Tb is a hopeless situation.

 

[DRC]

North Shropshire is quite a hot spot unfortunately.

 

[Matt]

sorry to hear that. agree tb is a hopeless situation. no rhyme or reason to why sometimes 1 animal out of a who herd will get it.

 

[Sid]

I am sorry to here about the situation but its very similar to @sidjon situaton.

Lots argue aginst more regular testing if officialy clear but it may stop spread from cattle to cattle in herds , but only of course is that is where the infection has come from!

 

[fieldfarmer]

I would get them to let you do a whole herd test asap.

Do you fluke your cattle?

Can the fluke drench / pour on give a false reading? or do flukey cattle react more to the injection?

 

[Guest]

Another issue that has arisen is that we were left with two cows that were said to be in the clear, along with many of the calves. As it happens, one of the cows that was given a clear status is my partner's favourite cow. I asked the vet if she was in the clear and he stated that she was. Anyway, the man from the Animal Health visited the farm yesterday and he showed the list of cows that were condemned and she was included on it even though she was originally deemed to be in the clear. I wonder why the vet stated that she was in the clear? She's also our favourite animal of the herd. I can't understand why the vet said she was in the clear and yet, the AH have got her down as having to go. She has always passed every tb test without any problems. I know in this business you can't get over attached to these animals but this cow has passed every test and she was regarded as having clear status by the vet.

 

[Beef farmer]

Another issue that has arisen is that we were left with two cows that were said to be in the clear, along with many of the calves. As it happens, one of the cows that was given a clear status is my partner's favourite cow. I asked the vet if she was in the clear and he stated that she was. Anyway, the man from the Animal Health visited the farm yesterday and he showed the list of cows that were condemned and she was included on it even though she was originally deemed to be in the clear. I wonder why the vet stated that she was in the clear? She's also our favourite animal of the herd. I can't understand why the vet said she was in the clear and yet, the AH have got her down as having to go. She has always passed every tb test without any problems. I know in this business you can't get over attached to these animals but this cow has passed every test and she was regarded as having clear status by the vet.

If she was a reactor then she would have been dna tagged on the reading day. So my guess is she was an ir, and upon looking at your results have decided to take her aswell.

 

[Guest]

She was regarded clear by the vet and if she is included because of the results, why haven't they included the other cow?