Fiona
Bruce MP questions Government on strategy for tackling Bovine TB
Fiona Bruce
highlighted the importance of tackling Bovine TB in the House of Commons
yesterday at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Question Time. The full text of her questions and responses by Environment Minister
George Eustice MP is below.
Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con): What assessment she has made of the
lessons that can be learned from the experiences of other countries in dealing
with bovine tuberculosis. [908027]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice): The success of the bovine TB
eradication policies pursued in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the
United States and the Republic of Ireland demonstrates the need to bear down on
the disease effectively in both cattle and wildlife.
Fiona Bruce: I thank the Minister for his answer.
Does he agree that lessons from Ireland, in particular, show that where there
is TB in wildlife it must be tackled through culling as part of any
comprehensive strategy to tackle TB? If that had happened years ago when TB was
known to be moving towards Cheshire at the rate of 1 mile a year, Cheshire’s
farmers would not be suffering the difficulties they are today. Does he also
agree that this should not be such a political issue? It is about supporting
our farmers and eradicating TB.
George Eustice: My hon. Friend makes an important
point: it is not possible to eradicate this disease without tackling the
reservoir of the disease in the wildlife population. She rightly says that the
previous Government put their head in the sands and did nothing. This is a
slow-moving, difficult disease and it has to be hit hard and early, which the
previous Government failed to do. At a recent NFU conference Labour confirmed
again that, irrespective of the evidence and the advice of the chief veterinary
officer, it would abandon the culls.
Speaking after the debate Fiona Bruce
said “I meet regularly with farmers from my
constituency and am deeply concerned about the stress and worry they suffer
about Bovine TB. Doing nothing is not an option. Bovine TB is a terrible
disease which is devastating our cattle and dairy industries and causing misery
in rural communities. We need to do everything we can to make England TB free.”
