At Bennett-Williams Vets we work with our local delivery partner Menter a Busnes to arrange TB testing. If you want to arrange a test contact us and if you have a query with your testing window then please contact APHA.
Safety
There is an emphasis on safety, Bennett-Williams and Menter a Busnes need to be able to demonstrate that this is being taken seriously. The most important thing you can do is to make sure your handling facilities are well maintained and up to the job in hand. There are 100 ways to injure yourself on a crush and as a vet you gradually learn them all through the course of TB testing! If there are any idiosynchrocies about your handling system please let the vet know.
Incomplete tests
More than ever we must be able to account for every animal that is on the BCMS printout when we come out to test. If any animal listed died or moved off the farm more than a week prior to the date of the test you must provide evidence of this in order for the test to be recognised as completed. Please contact BCMS to resolve any discrepancies and then contact APHA once this is completed.
Also please note that ‘dangerous/unmanageable’ is not an acceptable reason for an animal not to be tested. Going back to the safety issue the last thing anyone wants to be encouraging is attempts to test an animal when it isn’t safe to do so. If an animal cannot be safely tested then it should be sent for slaughter in order for the test to be completed. APHA state that they will take a zero tolerance approach to untested animals.
Tracing tests
There seem to be more and more tracing tests being required. These can often be very frustrating for all concerned as for those of you that buy in from several sources there can be several tracing tests instructed in a short time frame. These will each come with different testing windows and often a common date can’t be found for them all. Attempts to combine them with a whole herd test can also be frustrating at times. We do know that some farmers have had SOME success in getting flexibility for the various testing windows to allow them to all be done at once and/or during the whole herd test. It may be worth a try contacting APHA if you find yourself in this position. If someone gives you authority to change the testing window please be sure to take their name and date of communication as we will need to include the information with the test submission.
Visits for testing
The way we as a practice are being paid for testing has changed, a well organised test will help us to continue to carry out testing in a cost effective way. We will only be paid a single visit fee for testing so would prefer to do the whole test in one unless cattle numbers make this impossible. If you wish to split your test over different days then additional visit fees will be at your expense.
Finally
We do appreciate how time consuming TB testing is for you and how devastating the impact can be of a breakdown on a herd. As vets, our hearts sink when we find reactor animals. We only wish more was being done to help eradicate this disease.
