A SURVEY of wildlife killed on roads in what was once a relatively TB-free area of the country will provide valuable information about the spread of the disease, the NFU believes.

The study of casualty badgers and deer in an area of about 180sq km in the Furness peninsula of South-West Cumbria has been announced by Defra, which hopes the results will help to explain the rise in the incidence of bovine TB, after movement of cattle into the area was ruled out in a number of recent cases.

Tim Bennett, NFU deputy president, said: "We are pleased Defra is taking positive action to find out more about the extent to which this devastating disease is being spread through the wildlife population and on to cattle.

"The more we know about the disease, the better chance we have of beating it, and that is something everyone desperately wants to see."

The NFU has campaigned for some time for greater testing of casualty animals to improve the data on diseases within the wildlife population.

Farmers and the public who find a dead badger on the roads in the area are asked to contact their local Animal Health Office in Carlisle which will arrange for collection and testing.