Nose to nose contact with cattle in neighbouring holdings poses a disease risk to your cattle and should be prevented where possible.
Reducing the risk: Ensure that fence boundaries with your neighbours are secure. Where possible double fence these boundaries, leaving a 3m gap to prevent contact with other cattle.
Close contact with other cattle may pose a disease risk to your herd.
Reducing the risk: Where possible avoid grazing with other cattle. To reduce the risk of importing TB back into your herd, cattle should be isolated and post-movement TB tested.
Wild deer may also be infected with M. bovis and in some cases they pose a potential disease risk to cattle. Read our factsheet to learn more about TB in deer.
Reducing the risk: Take measures to reduce deer access to cattle feed, and feed stores. Any deer culled with lesions suspicious of TB should be reported to APHA.
Badgers live in setts (burrows) which may extend out into pasture fields in some cases. Cattle grazing near badger setts may encounter contaminated material which acts a source of TB infection. For more information on badger field signs read our factsheet.
Reducing the risk: Use permanent or temporary fencing to keep cattle away from badger setts where possible.
Research suggests that M. bovis can potentially survive in slurry for up to six months. Spreading slurry containing M. bovis may then contaminate pastures on your land or neighbouring land.
Reducing the risk: Spread slurry on to arable land or use controlled methods or application such as injection or trailing shoe to reduce contamination. Where possible wait at least two months before grazing pasture sprayed with slurry. For information on M. bovis survival in slurry and how to reduce the risks read our factsheet.
Research suggests that M. bovis cannot survive in well ensiled forage (for more info read our factsheet), but maize and whole crop silage may be attractive to badgers, which may contaminate the clamp face.
Reducing the risk: Reduce badger access to silage clamps using electric fencing or other measures that reduce access to the farm yard.
Badgers may enter farm yards and buildings where they can contaminate feed and come into close contact with cattle, which poses an infection risk. If you are unsure, cameras can be used to identify badger activity in farmyards. Read our factsheet for advice on using cameras to identify badger activity.
Reducing the risk: Badgers can climb up to 1.2m and squeeze through a gap under a gate bigger than 7.5cm. Use sheeted gates , metal panels, or electric fencing to reduce badger access. Read our factsheets on biosecurity measures here or press ‘read more’ below for general advice on keep badgers out of buildings.
Badgers defecate and urinate in shallow pits (latrines) often located in concentrated areas along field margins. Where cattle can access latrines they may act as a source of TB infection. For more info on latrines and other badger field signs read our factsheet.
Reducing the risk: Use permanent or temporary fencing to keep cattle away from badger latrines where possible.
Badgers may enter farm yards and buildings where they can contaminate feed and come into close contact with cattle. Read our factsheet for a list of feed sources attractive to badgers.
If you are unsure, cameras can be used to identify badger activity in farmyards. Read our factsheet for advice on using cameras to identify badger activity.
Reducing the risk: Badgers can climb up to 1.2m and squeeze through a gap under a gate bigger than 7.5cm. Use sheeted gates, metal panels or electric fencing to reduce badger access. Read our factsheets on biosecurity measures here or press 'read more' below for general advice on keeping badgers out of buildings.
Badgers may use water troughs, contaminating the water, which may act as a source of TB infection for cattle. For information on M. bovis survival in water and feed read our factsheet.
Reducing the risk: Raise or modify water troughs (preferably to 90cm or higher) to reduce badger access, and disinfect and cover troughs when not in use.
The TB bacterium M. bovis can potentially survive in cattle faeces, soil and feed for prolonged periods of time depending on environmental conditions. Read our factsheet on M. bovis survival in soil and faeces. Farming equipment contaminated with M. bovis could therefore act as a source of infection for other cattle. Movement of contaminated equipment between farms could also lead to transmission of TB to other herds.
Reducing the risk: Where possible avoid sharing equipment with other farms with a history of TB, and disinfect equipment which may have been in contact with infected cattle. For more information on cleansing and disinfection read here.
Cattle infected with M. bovis may shed the bacteria in their faeces which acts as a source of infection to other cattle or to wildlife.
Reducing the risk: Where possible, store slurry and manure prior to spreading and take measures to reduce the risk to cattle and surrounding farm land. For information on M. bovis survival in faeces and how to reduce the risks read our factsheet.
The skin test for TB in cattle is not perfect and potentially misses 20% or more of infected cattle tested. There is a risk that cattle purchased from other herds have been missed by the skin test and may infect other cattle resulting in a TB breakdown. Read our factsheets for more information on the skin test and supplementary interferon gamma blood test.
Reducing the risk: Avoid sourcing cattle from herds with a recent history of TB. Ask the herd owner or use the website www.ibtb.co.uk to check the TB status of the herd. Where there is a risk, purchased cattle can be isolated and post-movement TB tested. Reducing the risk: Avoid sourcing cattle from herds with recent history of TB. Ask the herd owner or use the website to check the TB status of the herd. Where there is a risk, purchased cattle can be isolated and post movement TB tested.
Badgers may be attracted to mineral licks or cattle feed (cake or cereals) in pasture fields. Contaminated feed may then be a source of TB infection for cattle. For a list of feed sources attractive to badgers read our factsheet. Reducing the risks: Avoid feeding cattle on the ground or use raised troughs and mineral lick holders to keep feed away from badgers.
