Bovine Tuberculosis

Bill Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of animals which have been infected with M. bovis in each year since 1997, broken down by species; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy
The number of cattle slaughtered as a result of bovine TB control measures in each year in England since 1997 are shown in the following table:

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|                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |Number of cattle slaughtered under bovine TB control measures|
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|1997                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |3,123                                                        |
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|1998                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |5,027                                                        |
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|1999                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |5,580                                                        |
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|2000                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |7,190                                                        |
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|2001                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |4,438                                                        |
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|2002                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |18,443                                                       |
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|2003                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |17,551                                                       |
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|2004                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |17,306                                                       |
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|2005                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |23,135                                                       |
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|2006                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |16,007                                                       |
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|2007                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |19,794                                                       |
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|Note:All data provided are provisional and subject to change as more data become available.Source:Animal Health Database (Vetnet). 2005-07 data extracted on 18 March 2008; 1998-2004 data extracted on 7 March 2006, and 1997 data extracted on 5 March 2007.|                                                             |
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In addition there have been a small number of cases of where Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) has been identified in non-bovine species. The identification of M. bovis in tissues and clinical samples from all mammals (excepting man) and the detection of suspect TB lesions in farmed and companion mammals (other than cattle and farmed deer), became notifiable only in February 2006.

DEFRA can only provide data on the number of M. bovis isolations from notified suspect clinical and post-mortem cases of TB arising in some non-bovine species. The relevant data for non-bovine species in England are given in the following table:

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|                                                         |Species         |Total number|
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|1997                                                     |n/a             |0           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|1998                                                     |Deer            |8           |
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|                                                         |Domestic cat    |2           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|1999                                                     |Deer            |9           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|2000                                                     |Deer            |8           |
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|                                                         |Domestic cat    |3           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|2001                                                     |Deer            |1           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|2002                                                     |Deer            |7           |
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|                                                         |Domestic cat    |2           |
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|                                                         |Dog             |1           |
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|                                                         |Domestic pig    |1           |
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|                                                         |Sheep           |1           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|2003                                                     |Domestic pig    |8           |
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|                                                         |Alpaca          |2           |
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|                                                         |Llama           |1           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|2004                                                     |Domestic cat    |6           |
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|                                                         |Dog             |1           |
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|                                                         |Domestic pig    |1           |
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|                                                         |Alpaca          |1           |
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|                                                         |Sheep           |3           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|2005                                                     |Deer            |1           |
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|                                                         |Domestic cat    |11          |
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|                                                         |Domestic pig    |12          |
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|                                                         |Llama           |1           |
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|                                                         |Sheep           |2           |
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|                                                         |Ferret          |3           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|2006                                                     |Deer            |5           |
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|                                                         |Domestic cat    |13          |
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|                                                         |Domestic pig    |1           |
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|                                                         |Farmed wild boar|2           |
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|                                                         |Alpaca          |1           |
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|                                                         |Llama           |8           |
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|                                                         |                |            |
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|2007                                                     |Deer            |1           |
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|                                                         |Domestic cat    |14          |
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|                                                         |Domestic pig    |5           |
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|                                                         |Goat            |2           |
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|                                                         |Alpaca          |2           |
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|                                                         |Llama           |5           |
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|Source:Veterinary Laboratories Agency TB Culture database|                |            |
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