The number of new incidents of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in herds dropped but the number of cattle slaughtered rose in the south west between August 2016 and August 2017.

During this period of time there were 2,213 new herd incidents while the previous year saw 2,286 recorded. Last year’s new herd incidents resulted in the withdrawal of officially TB free herd status withdrawn for 1,509 herds and suspended for 702 herds.

Across the south west 19,611 cattle were slaughtered in the twelve months leading up to August 2017, just over 1,500 more than the previous year.

There were fewer new incidents in Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire and Somerset than during 2015 -16 but Dorset and Wiltshire saw increases. The Isles of Scilly remains bTB free.

Herds in the south west are tested for bTB annually and represent nearly 60% of all herds in England. In the rest of England most herds are tested every four years. Herds that have a high risk of contracting bTB or present a potential public health risk (e.g. producer-retailers of unpasteurised milk) are tested annually regardless of their location.

The south west is a High Risk Area and the incidence and prevalence of infected cattle have increased steadily to relatively high levels, partly a result of a reservoir of endemic M. bovis infection in the local wildlife. However, there is evidence of a slowing down in both the incidence and prevalence rates since around 2012.