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A free bespoke consultation service to all eligible farmers in England.

25/11/2025

When cattle enter your farm, it’s good practice to isolate them from other cattle in the herd to ensure that they are not incubating disease (not just TB) and to give you time to test them. If you are buying in cattle from a herd of higher TB risk status, they should always be isolated. The period of isolation should be at least 60 days so that a post-movement TB test can be carried out before introducing them into the herd.
Isolation should apply to all cattle entering your herd, including newly purchased stock, hired bulls and cattle under your ownership that have returned from being away, e.g. from shows, markets and other premises. The TB risk is greater for purchased stock and hired bulls than for animals that have been off the farm for a short time. The practicality of isolating cattle depends on factors such as the number of animals purchased, their purpose in the herd and the availability of suitable isolation facilities. Discuss with your vet which options would be appropriate for isolation on your farm.

For more information visit the TB Hub https://tbhub.co.uk/preventing-tb-breakdowns/protect-your-herd-from-bovine-tb/stop-infected-cattle-entering-the-herd/

20/11/2025

Cattle movements are one of the main contributors to the spread of TB. To help protect your herd from bTB, consider the risk of introducing infected cattle entering the herd. This includes new purchased cattle and re-introducing your own stock after being away from farm.

Consider using a pre-purchase and post-purchase checklist when introducing cattle to your herd.
For more information visit the TB Hub: https://tbhub.co.uk/preventing-tb-breakdowns/protect-your-herd-from-bovine-tb/stop-infected-cattle-entering-the-herd/

13/11/2025

Did you know that Defra publishes official monthly statistics on bTB in Great Britain?

There is also an interactive bTB dashboard that uses this information to display headline statistics by county, TB risk area and country and see how they change over time. The dashboard is fully interactive and is a useful tool for looking at the bTB situation both in your local area and nationally.

Interactive Dashboard: https://tbstatistics.github.io/interactive_dashboard/

More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bovine-tb
Kingshay Farming VetPartners UK

06/11/2025

Managing cattle feed and water by restricting access to feed stores, troughs and mineral licks, can help reduce your herd’s bTB risk.

Open bags of feed, such as protein pellets, cake or concentrates, left on farm overnight can attract badgers and other wildlife.

Investing in secure feed stores such as containers or bespoke home-made feed bins with a secure lid can be an effective method to reduce bTB transmission between wildlife and cattle. Other top tips to consider when purchasing feed stores include rigid smooth material that prevents wildlife from climbing the sides and ensuring they are robust for regular use and suitable for loading method e.g. forklift compatible.

More information can be found on the TB Hub: https://tbhub.co.uk/preventing-tb-breakdowns/biosecurity/

29/10/2025

A commonly agreed recommendation during a TBAS visit between adviser and farmer is to have a visitor biosecurity plan.

When creating a visitor biosecurity plan, include a map of your farm showing boundaries and identifying where livestock are housed and grazed, roads, public pathways and bridleways and natural water courses. This can then be used to help identify the risky areas to focus on, such as entrance places to place foot dips and biosecurity signs.

Also include a list of emergency and regular contacts on farm, including a contact number for your vet and farm manager.

22/10/2025

Have you heard of the Pembrokeshire Project?

The five year project explores new measures to tackle bTB in Pembrokeshire whilst aiming to promote a collaboration between vets and farmers, empowering them to take the lead and make informed decisions on disease control.

The project is funded by Welsh Government and delivered by lechyd Da and the Sêr Cymru Centre of Excellence for bovine TB (CBTB) at Aberystwyth University to integrate research and development with practical veterinary work to support and strengthen bTB control.

The project approach is a combination of data analysis and social science. From the training of vets and farmers to improve knowledge of bTB to biosecurity tools, skin test results to farmer surveys and beyond. Encompassing but not limited to diagnostics, this project integrates research and development withpractical veterinary work to support and strengthen bTB control.

Read more: https://iechydda.cymru/projects/

15/10/2025

Inconclusive reactors (IR) are identified on farm where the animal shows a reaction to bovine tuberculin greater than the avian, but not big enough to be classified as a reactor.

IRs are placed under movement restrictions and must be isolated until they are re-tested. If the IR tests clear at the re-test, it is known as a ‘resolved IR’.

It has been found that resolved IRs have significantly higher odds of becoming reactors at a subsequent test in the same or another herd.

Managing resolved IRs as risky animals that pose a potential threat to your herd can help reduce the likelihood of a bTB breakdown in the future. Discuss producing a resolved IR plan with your vet.
VetPartners UK Kingshay Farming

09/10/2025

The 2025 Bovine TB strategy review update by Professor Sir Charles Godfray emphasises the vital role of veterinary services in providing tailored, farm-specific advice to farmers and highlights that a trusted relationship between farmers and vets is essential for effective disease control.

The review recognises the need for clearer, more practical guidance for farmers and incentives to adopt biosecurity measures. Biosecurity is described as an underutilised but critical method of controlling bTB and the report advises that better communication of the benefits of biosecurity is needed.

It also calls for more resources and access to data to help vets offer smarter, targeted solutions to farmers. Technical director for TBAS and veterinary consultant at Kingshay, Sarah Tomlinson, says this review is a powerful reminder about the crucial role vets can play in bTB prevention.

07/10/2025

A new version of the ibTB map has been launched with a number of specific improvements, the most significant being the addition of animal-level TB risk data. This gives users movement and bTB history for 6 million animals in England and provides greater information to farmers purchasing cattle, enabling them to make more informed decisions and reduce the risk of inadvertently introducing TB into their herds.

Information available for animals in English herds includes an animal’s date of birth, s*x and breed, as well as the date and type of the last TB test. It also includes information about an animal’s current herd, such as its TB risk area (High, Edge, or Low), any TB breakdown history and date, and how long the animal has been in the herd. Where relevant, the same details are also available for the previous herd, ensuring transparency around an animal’s movement history—helping buyers avoid unknowingly sourcing cattle that have recently moved from a higher-risk area.

Access the ibTB map here: https://ibtb.co.uk/

01/10/2025

Are you visiting The Dairy Show today? Make sure to visit the Kingshay stand to book your FREE TBAS visit!

Many of our TBAS Advisers are also in attendance on their own vet practice stands, so please do pop along to your discuss bTB biosecurity and TBAS visits with your vets!

Bath and West Showground

23/09/2025

As we start to approach the time of year where we think about stock returning to sheds from pasture, understanding the wildlife that may be visiting your farmyard is good way to focus on certain areas to improve biosecurity.
Installing wildlife cameras around the farmyard is a good way to assess the level of wildlife activity. Here are some top tips for camera placement:
✅Feed stores – Including feed bins, under silos. Anywhere with spilled feed that badgers can access.
✅Cattle housing – badgers may enter cattle housing looking for food. Particularly if cattle are fed in low troughs or on the floor.
✅Silage clamps – Silage clamps, particularly maize, are likely to attract badgers
✅Hay/straw barns – badgers may visit these areas to forage or to collect bedding
✅Narrow gaps or entrances to the yard – if the yard is fairly secure, or if there are not suitable camera locations elsewhere, focus on potential entry points to the yard/buildings. Particularly if there are signs of wildlife activity.

Visit the TB Hub for more information: https://tbhub.co.uk/tb-in-wildlife/tb-in-badgers/identifying-badger-activity/

18/09/2025

We all think we know about TB as many of us have lived with the disease or the fear of the disease for years. However sometimes thing come up that we aren’t sure about. If you do have any TB biosecurity questions, want something clarifying or just don’t quite understand something, or would like to know more about TB and badgers or TB in non-bovines, the TB Advisory Service has a telephone advice line which is answered 9-5pm Monday to Friday. We appreciate farmers do not work 9-5pm Monday to Friday so you can also contact us via our contact us form on the TBAS website and someone will call you back in working hours.

Contact form: https://www.tbas.org.uk/contact-us/
Kingshay Farming VetPartners

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