Guidance

Testing for TB in your herd in Scotland and Wales

Guidance for cattle keepers in Scotland and Wales on why cattle are tested for bovine TB, how the tests are done and how to prepare for the tests.

From:
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Published
1 January 2013
Last updated
3011 MarchApril 2022 — See all updates

Documents

Testing for TB in your herd: what this means to you (Scotland)

Ref: AG-TBYHS-02 PDF, 365 KB, 12 pages

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Testing for TB in your herd: what this means to you (Wales)

HTML

Details

For cattle keepers in England, see Bovine TB: getting your cattle tested in England

Anyone who keeps cattle is required by law to have their animals tested for bovine TB.

Cattle are tested at an interval (one or four years) depending on which county the herd is located and the disease risk for that area.

The testing programme confirms the TB disease status of a herd and is important to:

  • identify which cattle are infected with bovine TB
  • prevent bovine TB spreading to other cattle and animals
  • prevent cattle suffering because of infection
  • protect public health

A Welsh translation of the guidance for cattle keepers in Wales is being updated and will be available shortly.available.

Published 1 January 2013
Last updated 3011 MarchApril 2022 + show all updates

  1. Added Welsh translation of the guidance: Testing for TB in your herd: what this means to you (Wales).

  2. The Welsh guidance PDF has been replaced with HTML guidance to make this content more accessible. The following sections have also been updated: Testing cattle for bovine TB Inconclusive Reactors (IRs) The TB status of your herd Suspension: Officially TB Free status Suspended (OTFS) Withdrawal: Officially TB Free status Withdrawn (OTFW) Records. A new section on the IDEXX Antibody test has been added.

  3. Added translation

  4. Scotland document updated to clarify the testing requirements of a TB breakdown based on the various risk factors associated with that breakdown.

  5. Wales documents updated in relation to OTFW Wales policy change due to come into force from the 1st January 2016.

  6. PDF guidance document for England has been archived and link added to new guidance

  7. AHVLA documents have been re-assigned to the new Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

  8. First published.