Vet call out charges

[Highland Mule]

@ollie989898

Bovine TB testing intervals

Guidance for cattle keepers on the bovine TB surveillance testing intervals for areas in England, Wales and Scotland.

www.gov.uk

Scotland
Scotland has been designated officially TB free (OTF) since September 2009. As a result, changes were introduced to exempt low risk herds from the default routine testing regime of 48 months that applies to all other non-exempt herds.

Low risk herds must fully comply with one of the following:

• herds with fewer than 50 cattle which have had fewer than 2 consignments of cattle moved on from high incidence TB areas (including Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) in the previous 4 years
• herds that slaughter more than 25% of their stock annually and have had fewer than 2 consignments of cattle moved on from high incidence TB areas (including Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) in the previous 4 years
• herds that slaughter more than 40% of their stock annually

Slaughtered animals are animals that have been on the holding for at least 60 days and that move either direct from the farm to slaughterhouse, or directly from the farm to market and then directly to the slaughterhouse.

It does not include animals moving onto another holding temporarily between market and slaughterhouse.

The slaughter rate is calculated on the total number of cattle slaughtered in a slaughterhouse in the previous calendar year divided by the herd size (total stock on farm on 1 January).

APHA annually assesses each individual herd’s eligibility for exemption from TB testing, and will write to all cattle keepers in Scotland to confirm whether or not their herd is exempt.

See the Scotland TB testing intervals list (PDF, 60.5KB, 22 pages) .

 

[Farmer Fin]

Not all beef herds are tested. There are a number of criteria that can result in no testing - from memory it's connected to percentage going direct to abattoir and a few other things. I haven't tested in 12 years and I get a letter every so often from AH to explain why I don't need to.

Only in Scotland. England and Wales have to test.

 

[neilo]

Given that animals are inspected at slaughter anyway, for farms that don't buy or sell stock, with stuff either going on the lorry or by way of knacker man, I would say don't bother testing. Perhaps the ministry can pay (and carry out) a few sample tests of herds over a few years to get a feel for disease incidence.

Dairy farms, well most dairy products are pasturised anyway.

I do question the public health angle of TB given that the UK has been hosting refugees for some years now yet has totally dropped mass TB vaccination of children.

Farmers who wish to sell stock can pay privately for pre-movement tests of the individual animals concerned. Job done.

The blood testing funded by Farming Connect in Wales currently (up to £250 per holding) is for investigative work like trace element/nutritional profiling, surveillance for iceberg diseases or for fertility testing of rams/bulls.

 

[ollie989898]

Not all beef herds are tested. There are a number of criteria that can result in no testing - from memory it's connected to percentage going direct to abattoir and a few other things. I haven't tested in 12 years and I get a letter every so often from AH to explain why I don't need to.

I've no issue with this. Unless people are trying to sell/move animals to other farms or units, then I don't see the point in testing them except for the odd few tests here and there to have a guide on disease incidence.

Many dairy farms are no different. They sell stock as barreners or the knacker man has them.

I don't see any mileage in huge numbers of TB tests condemning animals when the reservoir in wildlife can't be controlled anyway. It's become a circle-jerk and the tax payer is funding it. If farmers want to move or sell stock let them finance their own tests.

 

[Farmer Fin]

I've no issue with this. Unless people are trying to sell/move animals to other farms or units, then I don't see the point in testing them except for the odd few tests here and there to have a guide on disease incidence.

Many dairy farms are no different. They sell stock as barreners or the knacker man has them.

I don't see any mileage in huge numbers of TB tests condemning animals when the reservoir in wildlife can't be controlled anyway. It's become a circle-jerk and the tax payer is funding it. If farmers want to move or sell stock let them finance their own tests.

There is no surveillance at Knackers. It’s a big hole that’s no one wants to look into.

 

[ollie989898]

There is no surveillance at Knackers. It’s a big hole that’s no one wants to look into.

These animals do not enter the human food chain anyway so it is surely moot?

Beasts presented for slaughter are all inspected, with any necessary bits removed. I just don't see the point to maintain the charade any longer.

 

[Farmer Fin]

These animals do not enter the human food chain anyway so it is surely moot?

Beasts presented for slaughter are all inspected, with any necessary bits removed. I just don't see the point to maintain the charade any longer.

You were commenting that a dairy is no different. Some dairy farms will have very few animals entering the food chain straight off farm. They will have a high proportion going to knackers at which there is no surveillance. It’s even more of an issue as traditionally AHPA may have gotten a post-mortem for sick cattle now they just go to the knackers. TB lesions etc could easily be missed.

 

[ollie989898]

You were commenting that a dairy is no different. Some dairy farms will have very few animals entering the food chain straight off farm. They will have a high proportion going to knackers at which there is no surveillance. It’s even more of an issue as traditionally AHPA may have gotten a post-mortem for sick cattle now they just go to the knackers. TB lesions etc could easily be missed.

Ah I see where you are coming from now. In this instance, if the ministry wants a rough estimate of disease incidence they would cask for a few sample tests of beasts on dairy farms, rather than expose the people testing to the danger of having to do thousands of tests annually.

 

[Plain steer]

You were commenting that a dairy is no different. Some dairy farms will have very few animals entering the food chain straight off farm. They will have a high proportion going to knackers at which there is no surveillance. It’s even more of an issue as traditionally AHPA may have gotten a post-mortem for sick cattle now they just go to the knackers. TB lesions etc could easily be missed.

They must be bad farms if there’s more going to the knackery than the abattoir

 

[neilo]

You were commenting that a dairy is no different. Some dairy farms will have very few animals entering the food chain straight off farm. They will have a high proportion going to knackers at which there is no surveillance. It’s even more of an issue as traditionally AHPA may have gotten a post-mortem for sick cattle now they just go to the knackers. TB lesions etc could easily be missed.

They must be bad farms if there’s more going to the knackery than the abattoir

That's what I was thinking. I've never known of any dairy farm that was in that state, not that they'd stay in business long. Everyone obviously loses a few battles, but the vast majority of culls will either be going for slaughter, further fattening, or sold on for milking elsewhere.

Wildly inaccurate statements like above do no favours for the industry, or for farming in general.

 

[Farmer Fin]

That's what I was thinking. I've never known of any dairy farm that was in that state, not that they'd stay in business long. Everyone obviously loses a few battles, but the vast majority of culls will either be going for slaughter, further fattening, or sold on for milking elsewhere.

Wildly inaccurate statements like above do no favours for the industry, or for farming in general.

That’s not what I have said. The Scottish suckler herds who don’t have to TB test do so because a large enough proportion of their herd go direct to slaughter each year and are undergo surveillance at a slaughterhouse. Ollie replied that similar would apply to some dairy farms animals going to knackers. My point is that say a 300 cow dairy with 25% replacement rate could have all non dairy calves leaving at 14 days, so no young stock. 75 cows leave the herd per year. Some may go for further fattening, some direct to slaughter but also a fair proportion will go to knackers (casualties, chronic lameness, johnes etc). You would be surprised by this number on certain units. This decreases the proportion seen at slaughter from a 300 head dairy farm for surveillance.
I don’t for one second believe my statement is widely inaccurate.

 

[Farmer Fin]

They must be bad farms if there’s more going to the knackery than the abattoir

I didn’t say more.

 

[MRT]

Opportunity for someone tired of long hours to make thier fortune, £17-19,000 per year for a qualified vet to teach the next generation

 

[Doc]

Yes, it’s clearly a pathway to gold and untold riches.
It approximates the bps on a 200ac farming unit.
Vets don’t know they are born, money for old rope in that job.

 

[ollie989898]

View attachment 903694Opportunity for someone tired of long hours to make thier fortune, £17-19,000 per year for a qualified vet to teach the next generation

Bloody hell, who the fudge can afford to work for £19K a year? They can't possibly be looking for an experienced vet to work for that? Maybe 2 days a week or something, surely?

 

[MRT]

Bloody hell, who the fudge can afford to work for £19K a year? They can't possibly be looking for an experienced vet to work for that? Maybe 2 days a week or something, surely?

No idea. They are keeping the 2 day week thing on the down low maybe and don't call me shirley

 

[MRT]

 

[MRT]

Bloody hell, who the fudge can afford to work for £19K a year? They can't possibly be looking for an experienced vet to work for that? Maybe 2 days a week or something, surely?

I must admit, I was shocked and I'm used to the industry so maybe a typo but it does say full time

 

[Doc]

Advert also says Welsh speaking. That’s an extra skill right there. They will be inundated.

 

[MRT]

Advert also says Welsh speaking. That’s an extra skill right there. They will be inundated.

I would apply but I got distracted when learning welsh on duolingo by high valerian. There just aren't enough high valerains in vet med these days