Laws to protect livestock from Bovine TB come into effect

Legislation to protect Scotland’s livestock from Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) has come into effect.

Bovine TB is an infectious disease that affects cattle and can be passed to other animals.

The new rules will mean that other animals, among them alpaca, farmed deer and sheep, will be dealt with under a system of TB controls where incidents are disclosed.

Although there have been no outbreaks of bovine TB in these non-bovine species since 1992, they have been frequently affected south of the border.

The measures are intended to safeguard Scotland’s official TB-free designation and have the backing of industry as well as livestock keepers.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland has been officially TB-free since 2009 and we want it to stay that way.

“The cattle industry is already strictly regulated for TB, but those legal powers in Scotland did not specifically cover controls of non-bovine species, except deer, where TB is strongly suspected or confirmed.

“The new measures coming into force will address that gap and ensure Scotland is fully prepared to deal with any TB outbreaks that might arise.

“The controls will also give us the powers to provide keepers of these non-bovine species with statutory compensation for animals slaughtered as a result of TB.”