To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress in developing a vaccine to counteract tuberculosis in cattle; and if she will publish the report of the Vaccine Scoping Standing Sub-Committee when it is available. [114719]
Defra is funding research at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), Weybridge to produce candidate vaccines and to evaluate these in host species. The candidates include a range of live attenuated vaccines and sub-unit vaccines. Defra is also funding experimental vaccination of cattle with BCG and other vaccine candidates, development of a test to differentiate vaccinated animals from infected animals, and development and testing of vaccines against TB in badgers, in collaboration with University College, Dublin.The sequencing of the genome of Mycobacterium bovis (announced by Defra in March 2002) represents significant progress in vaccine research, as all genes, proteins, enzymes and antigens present in M. bovis are likely to be identified rapidly in a highly cost-effective manner. This will underpin all future Defra bovine TB research in the development of vaccines and improved diagnostic tests. Defra is funding research at the VLA in this area.The report of the Vaccine Scoping Standing Sub-Committee will be published in due course.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why she has not met a CSR target for tuberculosis in cattle. [114887]
CSR targets were set in 1998 for the Comprehensive Spending Review Period (CSR). The targets which followed the CSR period are known simply as PSA (Public Service Agreement) targets. Defra"s PSA is supported by Service Delivery Agreements (SDAs).SDA 24 commits Defra "to scale up the Tuberculosis (TB) in cattle surveillance programme to recover ground lost as a result of the FMD epidemic, and strengthen TB control in line with EU obligations and agreed GB procedures, by end 2003; and to consider and implement a revised TB control strategy, attracting consensus, in the light of the results of the Krebs trial on TB and badgers by end-2006".You can find the above in our SDA which can be viewed at http://defraweb/corporate/busplan/sda/sda0306.pdf.Defra is preparing a comprehensive and sustainable Animal Health and Welfare Strategy. The intention is to revise the relevant PSA and as necessary SDA targets in light of this strategy.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many confirmed cases of tuberculosis in cattle there have been in the last five years; and what has been the geographical spread of the disease. [114888]
The number of new confirmed bovine TB herd incidents in England, by county from 1998 to 2002 is given in the table.
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | ||
| England | 630 | 741 | 885 | 300 | 1,447 | |
| Avon | 23 | 22 | 32 | 12 | 55 | |
| Bedfordshire | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Berkshire | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Buckinghamshire | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | |
| Cambridgeshire | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | |
| Cheshire | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | 13 | |
| Cornwall | — | 131 | 125 | 57 | 47 | 254 |
| Cumbria | — | 1 | 1 | — | 6 | |
| Derbyshire | 7 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 38 | |
| Devon | 100 | 134 | 182 | 68 | 262 | |
| Dorset | 8 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 35 | |
| Durham | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
| East Sussex | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| Essex | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Gloucestershire | 130 | 133 | 171 | 32 | 206 | |
| Greater London—East | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Greater London—South East | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Greater Manchester | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Hampshire | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Hereford and Worcs | 111 | 128 | 145 | 52 | 218 | |
| Hertfordshire | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| Humberside | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
| Isle of Wight | — | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Isles of Scilly | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Kent | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Lancashire | 3 | — | — | — | — | |
| Leicestershire | — | — | — | — | 3 | |
| Lincolnshire | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| Merseyside | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Norfolk | — | — | — | — | — | |
| North Yorkshire (48) | — | 1 | — | — | 5 | |
| North Yorkshire (50) | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Northamptonshire | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | |
| Northumberland | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
| Nottinghamshire | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | |
| Oxfordshire | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | — | |
| Shropshire | 3 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 41 | |
| Somerset | 36 | 42 | 62 | 14 | 78 | |
| South Yorkshire | — | — | 1 | — | — | |
| Staffordshire | 34 | 36 | 27 | 36 | 115 | |
| Suffolk | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Surrey | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tyne and Wear | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Warwickshire | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
| West Midlands | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| West Sussex | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| West Yorkshire | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Wiltshire | 31 | 66 | 54 | 13 | 91 |
Note:
In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely
suspended due to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak.
Since testing resumed in 2002, resources have been concentrated
on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer
period in which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of
high risk herds being tested post-FMD is greater than that prior
to the outbreak. As a result, the number of new heard incidents in
2002 is not comparable to that of previous years.