FARMERS and cattle dealers have been urged not to bring cattle from bovine TB infected areas into Yorkshire and the North-East.

A regional livestock board meeting of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) in Thirsk heard that the region’s cattle and wildlife were TB free.

Adam Bedford, NFU regional policy advisor, said the few incidents that had occurred all involved cattle brought in from infected areas.

“They had nothing to do with wildlife, they have all come from cattle movements,”

he said.

According to the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), most cases of bovine TB are concentrated in the south-west and the West Midlands, although the disease has been spreading north.

Last year, about 6,000 of the 57,000 registered cattle herds in England were under TB restrictions.

All herds in England are tested on a one to four-year basis, depending on the level of risk. Herds with TB breakdowns are tested more frequently to clear infected animals from them.

Last year, more than 41,000 tests were carried out on nearly 5.5 million cattle, of which more than 24,000 were reactors.

In the 2009-10 financial year, TB cost Defra £63m.

The Thirsk meeting was told Defra estimates each TB breakdown costs the farmer an average of £30,000.

But Mr Bedford said: “We spoke to a farmer in a restricted area who reckoned it had cost him £100,000, and that was without any cattle being slaughtered.”

Hans Porksen, livestock committee chairman, said they could only urge people not to bring cattle into the region from infected areas.

Richard Findlay, livestock committee member, said: “No one in their right mind should be bringing cattle from hotspots in.”

Frank Chislett, from West Yorkshire, said his area had been moved from a four-year to two-year testing zone, which had angered farmers.

“We are TB clear, but are now in a pre-test movement area,” he said.

Another farmer said very young calves which do not have to be pre-tested could still pose a risk.

He added: “It is down to peer pressure. If you know people who are buying from the south ask them not to.”

􀁧 Agriculture minister Jim Paice has announced that cattle which test positive for bovine TB are to be DNA tagged to strengthen controls on the spread of the disease.

It follows evidence that some farmers in infected areas may have retained TBpositive animals in their herd by illegally swapping ear tags with less productive animals which have gone to slaughter.

Gloucestershire Trading Standards found alleged evidence of such fraud at two slaughterhouses. Slaughterhouses in the south west and the Midlands are now being investigated.

Mr Paice said he was appalled by the allegations.

“Anyone doing this sort of thing will be caught and have the book thrown at them,” he said.