Following the recent outbreak of TB in goats, the British Goat Society and its members have some important decisions to make to ensure that the disease is controlled during the present outbreak and to prevent the reintroduction of the disease in future years. The Goat Veterinary Society, together with DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government veterinary surgeons, have produced a `Question and Answer' document that all goatkeepers should read.
Although not definitely confirmed, present indications are that the bacterium involved in the current outbreak is Mycobacterium bovis , the cause of TB in cattle. How goats became infected has not been determined, but the initial incident was identified in an area in which the level of TB in cattle is high. Other possible routes of entry are via contact with infected wildlife such as badgers or deer. The outbreak was first discovered in west Wales , in an area where M. bovis in cattle is endemic. Testing and tracing of possible infected goats and animals in contact with them have been carried out by veterinary surgeons from the Welsh Assembly Government and DEFRA, following the protocol that is standard for cattle. Hopefully, most of the infected goats have already been detected, but until tracing and testing is completed, the situation remains unclear and even then the possibility will still remain that undetected carrier goats exist in show herds. The present strain of tuberculosis appears to be very aggressive in goats, and although at present, disease appears to have been confined to the Golden Guernsey breed, other breeds are likely to be susceptible. The organism locally (in West Wales ) does not cause more severe disease in cattle – so it may well be that we are faced with a greater susceptibility to disease in goats (rather than a more aggressive organism), and this is of concern. This year
Veterinary surgeons from the Welsh Assembly Government and DEFRA have advised that the safest course of action would be to have goats tested:
Before being shown
Before being moved to a new home
Before being taken to taken for mating, particularly if being boarded
Before accepting goats for mating or boarding

Show secretaries should carry out a risk assessment to determine the risk at their own shows. The degree of risk will depend on the possible contact of exhibitors' herds with animals known to have TB and/or the attendance at shows last year or this year where infected goats may have been present, e.g. the Breed Shows.
Some shows in high risk areas have already been cancelled; other shows, such as the Royal Welsh, have asked for exhibitors' goats to be tested before attending the show.
Sensible penning at shows will also reduce the risk of disease transmission. Wherever possible back-to-back penning of different herds should be avoided, so that there is no direct nose-to nose contact and stealing of other herds' fodder and green food.
Any goat with respiratory disease, with or without wasting, should be examined by a veterinary surgeon and tested for TB if the clinical signs are at all suspicious. Any goat that dies or is culled because of respiratory signs/wasting should be sent for a post mortem examination at a Veterinary Investigation Centre.
Any bought-in goat(s) should be quarantined for at least 6 weeks and then preferably retested before mixing with the herd.

Next year
Any decision on what to do next year is wholly dependent on what happens over the next few months – hopefully, measures currently being taken will eradicate infection. There is however a high level of TB infection in cattle in certain parts of England and Wales, with concomitant infection of wildlife, which means that there is an ongoing risk of TB being reintroduced into goats, particularly where goats are grazing outdoors in areas of endemic infection.
Veterinary authorities from England , Wales and Scotland have been clear that it is up to goatkeepers to agree on testing and control procedures necessary to prevent the reintroduction and spread of TB within the national herd. The focus of official testing will be on herds selling unpasteurised milk or milk products. Testing of other herds will be at the expense of the owner.
Goatkeepers and the BGS need to decide on what, if any, TB testing should be routinely carried out. This could depend on what part of the country animals are from and how they are kept. For instance, premovement testing is compulsory for cattle from areas where TB is endemic, as is testing if animals are being moved directly from one show to another. On the other hand, goats that are not grazed outside in the eastern parts of England are unlikely to become infected.
The BGS could ask for all goats to be tested annually before the start of the show season, with TB testing carried out at the same time as routine CAE testing, with an additional visit from the veterinary surgeon 3 days later to `read' the test. Although skin testing appears to be accurately identifying animals with infection, the nature of the disease means that not every infected animal will be picked up at any one test, so a single test minimises risk, but does not eliminate it.

In addition shows could ask for animals to be tested just before individual shows and it would be sensible for goats to be tested before moving to a new home.

Any testing regime is going to be an additional financial burden on goatkeepers at a time of rising fuel and feed costs and the requirement to vaccinate against bluetongue, but the risk from TB is unlikely to be reduced in the near future and testing is likely to be a necessary burden if the problems of 2008 are not going to be repeated in future years. The discussion on future policy needs to take place soon, so that consensus can be reached before the start of 2009.

John Matthews, David Harwood (Honorary Veterinary Surgeons, British Goat Society)

Show organisers should try to arrange penning with the aim of avoiding physical contact with goats from other herds.  The centre pens could be arranged in blocks, allocationg one block per exhibitor. The outside pens pose less of a problem but a spare pen should be allocated to ensure no physical contact between herds.

Exhibitors   Don't allow physical contact between your goats and ones from a different herd.  This is most likely to occur when goats are gathering to go into the ring and when leaving it.  Stand far enough away from the next exhibitor when in the ring so that no physical contact can take place.

Don't feed milk to kids which has been through the communal weighing bucket.  Don't use milk from another herd either.  If no milk is available, give warm water in their bottle or bucket but don't use water that has been heated in a communal urn.

Be aware that there are risks to human health in drinking unpasteurised milk from an infected animal.

If shows ask that goats be tested for TB prior to the show, we must comply.  Hopefully this will only occur in high risk areas.  Transmission of TB at a show has not been confirmed as far as I am aware but there is a risk that it could happen.

Charlie Peck

I hope that all members will be supportive and have understanding for those people who have lost their goats or are awaiting test results.  They are not responsible for this situation but they are behaving in a very responsible way.  As you will see from Nick Claytons report, Defra have acknowleged the help they have been given in tracing animals which might be at risk.

There has been some confusion in the way the identification rules are being applied by some Trading Standards Departments.  They have claimed that all goats now need to be double tagged.  The letter from Clare Parnham (DEFRA)  is just to confirm what we already knew ! 
Please download/print a copy if you think you may be challenged or have been challenged already. 
Clare has said that she is willing to talk to T.S or any other agency on this issue if necessary. 
With a copy of her letter, hopefully there will be no need

Charlie Peck.

As many of you may know, there has been an outbreak of Tuberculosis in goats in the UK.
John Matthews and I met on Wednesday July 16th with a group including representatives from DEFRA policy unit,  The Welsh Assembly Government,  Animal Health, and the VLA whose senior epidemiologist Richard Clifton-Hadley attended.  There was also an observer from the Scottish devoved assembly veterinary department.
Thanks are due to DEFRA for setting up what was a very useful meeting at extremely short notice.  The object was to look at what has happened,  where we are now, what is being done, and what  more we should do in the short term.

The main points  from the meeting are:
The outbreak was first discovered in Wales, in an area where M. Bovis is endemic, in a goat post mortemed a few week ago.  Lesions typical of TB were found, and  testing and tracing have been put in hand following the protocol that is standard for cattle.
The Gellisaf herd was finally and fully dispersed during 2008 to various herds up & down the country. The outbreak was discovered in Wales on post mortem in a Gellisaf goat which had been purchased in good faith. Other reactors were found in this herd and other herds receiving Gellisaf goats.  The reactor herds had not sold goats on elsewhere.
The neccessary tracings are being followed up, but  one or two are proving difficult to follow. Most of these are tracings from three particular farms. We cannot of course name them, but who they are seems to be widely known, and if any one has goats which have been in contact with goats from these herds, and has not been approached by the tracing team, they should get in touch with their Animal Health office.
Where tracings have been completed, the herds identified have been tested at the expense of DEFRA. Results officially available are inevitably behind  those that are as it were known locally, but  out of  the first six herds traced and tested, 22 reactors have been found, with 20 showing lesions typical of Tuberculosis.  The  initial, liquid cultures of these show 17 positive for Mycobacteria.  Some of these have now been further examined, and that examination strongly suggests a strain of M.Bovis,  but that is NOT as yet a final confirmation.
We expect more information in the next few days. 

The nature of the lesions suggests that the strain of TB  concerned is  agressive in goats,  and the tracings so far completed and followed up demonstrate that the infection has the potential to have spread quite widely.
John and I stressed heavily that as we see it, there is an opportunity with swift action now, to stamp out the disease.  We have to accept that in an age when there is a known  worryingly high level of infection in wildlife, eradication now is no guarantee of long term future freedom, but  in the current situation, we feel that  it is essential to have a go.
There is no TB in goats legislation to match that applying to TB in cattle.  That means that for many  types of goat, there is no obligation on DEFRA to foot the bill for testing, and no compensation is payable for reactors slaughtered.  However as the disease is notifiable, it has to be reported to DEFRA, and  they will then take the neccessary action for the general good.
Tracing contacts is a difficult, expensive, and time consuming excercise,  and may not catch up with every possible contact.  It is very difficult to know just how much contact is needed for the disease to spread.  Certainly a few days at a major show, in contact with infected animals, has proved quite sufficient.
 At least one show has decided only to allow goats which have been tested for TB to be exhibited this year, and another has been cancelled.
We all agree that in the current situation it would be best practice for show authorities to insist that only goats recently tested for TB should be exhibited.  It would equally be best practice for exhibitors to have their goats tested before being taken to a show, or before being sold..
We must stress that the nature of the disease means that  not every possibly infected animal will be picked up at any one test, so a single test minimises risk, but does not eliminate it. 
If you are buying stock,  it is wise to have them tested pre purchase. It would be wiser still to  isolate them, and test them again a few weeks later, before mixing them with your own stock. That  reduces risk from being minimised, to making  introduction of disease reasonably unlikely, BUT, it is still not a GUARANTEE. It is however the best you can reasonably do.
All the goats involved to date have come from high class showing herds. So far, no tracings have been made other than to herds which are either kept for showing, or as pets,  but we recognise that others may be at risk. Any goats which DIE or are CULLED, and have RESPIRATORY disease,  should be submitted to  the VLA for post mortem.  There will be no charge if the goat is in a  herd which has been tested  as a contact  
Testing at the request of DEFRA is carried out as a result of a risk assessment based on evaluation of each situation.
John and I have suggested that as tracing is an expensive business, it might be more cost effective for DEFRA to pay on a one off basis for a targetted test on ALL goats which might be at risk.  That will require thoughts from higher places.
We do however feel that it  is in the common good that all possibly affected goats, and certainly all those who have been at major shows in the last 12 months, should be tested as soon as possible, along with all other members of the herd.
You can request a test through your veterinary surgeon, who would need to be an LVI. For most GVS lay members this will be the case, but not all vets have the right qualification. If you request a test privately, the fee  is payable to the veterinary surgeon, as is the established practice with cattle. As with cattle ALL tests have to be submitted to DEFRA with a full test chart.               
Tests which are carried out at the request of DEFRA will for now at least be paid for by them, but that is on a goodwill basis.
There is a a possible bone of contention here in that if  goats are tested privately, and  subsequently turns out to be a “Tracing”, you still have to pay privately for the test.
Authorities are also likely to focus on those goatkeepers who produce raw milk for human consumption.   Where  dairy cattle farmers are given a dispensation to sell unpasteurised milk, extra TB testing, at the expense of the owner, is normally required. Under the dairy hygeine regulations, that  is also a requirement for goats whose milk or its products are sold  for human consumption without being pasteurised.
However, standing instructions have for some years been that goats were only to be tested when they were on a farm, where cattle had been tested positive. Any  goatkeeper selling raw milk or milk product should now have their goats  tested as a matter of urgency.
Where people are milking goats at home for their own consumption, and there has been no possible contact with infected stock, there is no increased risk from the current situaton,  but do not forget that mating has to be classed as a contact. Although  TB in goats has only been reprted once in the 50 years prior to 2007,  there is an increasing possibility as more and more other livestock become infected, that ANY goat could be infected if it has been in possible contact with other livestock at any time. It would therefore be best practice for those drinking raw milk from their own goats to have the occasional TB test carried out . 
Again,  in both cases TB tests will be authorised automatically, but it is important that they are requested in advance.
So far, there have been no tracings of potentially infected goats into large commercial herds.  However we are aware that there is some overlap, with  show stock being sold into these herds,  often as bucks.  If any commercial producers  have bought stock from any source which could be a contact,  again it is essential that they are tested as a matter of urgency.
 Those involved  from DEFRA with tracing and testing, have gone out of their way to stress how much they appreciate the cooperation and understanding so far shown them by goatkeepers.  With that cooperation, we hope that this outbreak can be knocked out quite rapidly.  It will however mean that everyone will have to pull together, and there is bound to be a degree of inconvenience.
  The group that met  on Wednesday will reconvene  when enough information is available to enable us to assess the  situation in more depth, and we appreciate that a lot of questions are not answered in this update.  However a  Q & A  sheet  is being finalised and will be available very shortly, and the group is establishing its own e mail loop to enable information to be disseminated, and questions to be asked amongst us, with the minimum of delay.
I will keep you informed  as and when  possible.
Nick Clayton.

The Vector Free Period (VFP) ends at midnight on 15th March 2008 . In practical terms, this means that no movement can take place from a Protection Zone (PZ) to a Surveillance Zone (SZ) or a BT Free Zone (FZ) after that date and animals in a Surveillance Zone cannot move to a BT Free Zone. Prior to 15 th March 2008 during the remainder of the VFP animals may be moved but they need to have blood taken by a vet which is tested negative for BTV. A special licence, available as a download from the Defra website or from your Local Animal Health Office also has to be completed as well as the usual AML form. Blood test results are taking at least a week to come back so if you have stock to move – move very quickly, as after 15th March, no animal can move from a PZ even if it has had a negative blood test.

Quite a number of infected animals have been identified on these pre-movement tests, which has meant that the PZ & SZ have been very much expanded. Maps are available on the Defra website showing the boundaries which are frequently changing but if in doubt, contact your local Animal Health Office.

Vaccine : it is anticipated that BT vaccine will be available from mid May 2008 and it is hoped that there will be a good uptake because, as with all diseases, a big percentage of animals need to be vaccinated if the disease is to be controlled. In the first instance, vaccine will only be available to animals within the Protection Zone.

To ensure that you get your supply of vaccine please book the number of doses you require with your vet so that stocks can be ordered. Don't forget to anticipate the number of doses that will be needed for this year's crop of kids.

Owners of animals outside the PZ might like to investigate making a ‘provisional' booking for vaccine with their vet as the PZ is likely to expand once the midges become active again.

Once animals have been vaccinated, it should be possible to move stock out of the PZ. Who will administer the vaccine and what documentation will be needed ? This information will follow when verified.

Cornwall . Completely isolated as a FZ when the SZ was last expanded, farmers ‘elected' to become part of the SZ and this has now been approved by Defra.

Charlie Peck 27/02/2008

The first is the news that Hobby Breeders of livestock will not be required to take the transport assessment if the journeys are less than 8 hours. It will be the responsibility of the livestock keeper to prove that they are not involved in a commercial enterprise.
I suggest that a copy of the letter should be carried when undertaking journeys as we are sure to be challenged at some point by individuals who do not realise that Defra have completely changed their policy on hobby keepers. A copy is available on the BGS Website for downloading (CLICK HERE) and a hard copy in the BGS Office (a copy of which can be obtained by sending a SAE). Sue may be able to send a copy by e-mail on request.
Anyone wishing to undertake the assessment can do so and if so, this would be a good time to investigate which centres are available.

The second is that Defra have ordered stocks of Bluetongue vaccine and they are the first Government Agency in Europe to place an order. Latest information suggests that it will not be available until June 2008 with the inevitable possibility of delays.

Warning : At least two lots of cattle imported from the continent have tested positive for the BT virus (perfectly legal importations). Anyone importing animals should be aware of the risks involved as the imports could be culled. The next best thing to not importing at this time is to have the animals blood tested in their country of origin and wait for a negative result. Even this is not without risk.

Charlie Peck

These are extracts from a letter which should have been sent to all members of the Scrapie Monitoring Scheme (SMS) from the Local Animal Health Offices. The content will also be of interest to anyone who is contemplating joining the scheme.

NOTICE OF IMPORTANT CHANGES TO THE SCRAPIE MONITORING SCHEME RULES EFFECTIVE FROM 1 JULY 2007  

The Scrapie Monitoring Scheme is governed by EU rules under annex V111 of Regulation (EC) 999/2001 as amended. Annex V111 provides rules for scrapie certification for intra-community trade (trade within EU member states) in breeding sheep and goats. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of changes to these rules specifically regarding the status of the animals introduced to your holding and the requirements for TSE testing.

Changes to the rules regarding animals introduced to your holding

From Sunday 1st July 2007 you will be required to ensure that with the exception of sheep of the ARR/ARR genotype, any sheep and/or goats (both male and female) are introduced into the holding only if they come from a holding which complies with the same requirements as your holding. From 1st July 2007 this means:

• the holding is subject to regular official veterinary checks
• the animals are identified in conformity with Community legislation
• no case of scrapie has been confirmed on the holding in the previous three years
• all sheep or goats that have died or been killed on the holding in the previous three years have been examined for scrapie in accordance with Community legislation (but please note that the TSE testing requirement is also changing – see below).

With respect to shows and sales, the existing scheme rules will continue to apply

Changes to TSE testing requirements for SMS flocks/herds

From 1st July 2007, holdings complying with these EU rules will no longer be expected to have female animals over 18 months old routinely tested at slaughter. Instead, you will continue to be required to arrange for the testing of all fallen stock over 18 months old. To meet the requirements of the EU Regulation, a BioRad ELISA TSE screening test is sufficient.

Holdings complying with Annex V111 (including SMS holdings) may do this by submitting animals for TSE testing under the Fallen Stock Survey (FSS) by telephoning the BCMS TSE helpline number 0800 525 890. SMS members must inform the TSE helpline operator that they are members of the SMS.

There is no charge for collection and TSE testing under the FSS. However, because the UK is now only required by the EU to TSE test a limited number of fallen stock from a random geographical sample throughout the year, this service is no longer freely available. Because of this, a quota system is now in place, which means that only a small number of fallen sheep and goats will be collected under the FSS each day.

If you are unable to arrange collection and TSE testing under FSS arrangements, you must therefore arrange for the collection and appropriate TSE testing of any fallen stock over 18 months old at your own expense . Such testing is available at laboratories of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and Scottish Agricultural Colleges (SAC). Your private Veterinary Surgeon will be able to advise you about this.

SMS Review

The rules and operation of the Scrapie Monitoring Scheme are currently being reviewed by the three Rural Affairs Departments in Great Britain . This review will be put out for public consultation in the next few months. We hope as many members as possible will take the opportunity to be involved in this. We will keep you informed of any changes but you should act now to ensure that you are able to meet the new requirements from 1st July 2007.

Please contact the Duty Veterinary Officer at the number above/below wish to discuss this further.

Before I had seen the above letter, I asked the following questions of Colin Pow at Defra ( Page Street ) and list his replies:

Q. What is the date in July when these changes take effect

A. Sunday 1 st July 2007

Q. I believe that males are now to be included in the scheme. If this is correct, do all males which are out on loan in non SMS herds have to return to their SMS homes by the July date. Does this mean that males which are on the scheme cannot be mated to females which are not.

A. You raised some specific problems with regard to goat-keeping practices. I should point out that a number of other questions have been asked about these rule changes. While we are endeavouring to apply these rules as required, we are also trying to be pragmatic in the answers we give. The changes in the rules will apply to males as well as females and does mean that males which are on the scheme cannot be mated to females which are not. Equally females which are on the scheme cannot be mated to males which are not.

We appreciate that implementing these changes overnight will not be easy and we are therefore working with colleagues in the Devolved Authorities to agree ways to deal with this and other similar issues to enable sheep and goat keepers to continue to comply with the rules. In practice this change will mean that from 1 st July SMS members will have to start implementing the rule changes. If animals are out on contracted loan for a specified period prior to this date it would be nonsensical to require that the animal is returned on 30th June. However, once the animal returns, to comply with the rules any further loan should then only be to herds which can also comply with the rules.

Q. Are there any other changes which will affect us after the July date

A. The other major change which will take effect from 1st July is that the TSE testing of adult females that are slaughtered for human consumption is no longer required. After 1st July, owners will only be required to arrange to have all fallen stock over 18 months old TSE tested. We are working with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations to agree how this should be implemented, particularly now that free testing of fallen stock under the provisions of the fallen stock survey is limited. I should emphasise that existing SMS members will not need to re-register for SMS status from 1st July.

Q. General query – once approval has been given and SMS status gained, can you export to Europe from that date.

A. I can confirm that a goat keeper can export goats as soon as the holding has SMS status.

The important changes in the new rules are:

Neither male or female goats on the SMS can be mated to goats which are not on the scheme (effective 1st July 2007)

The brains of all fallen stock over 18 months old on a holding which has SMS status will need to be tested. A very limited number of brains will be tested free under the Fallen Stock Scheme. This can be accessed by phoning the helpline on 0800 525890 ( also effective from 1st July 2007).

Goats which are not accepted for testing under the Fallen Stock Scheme will need to be privately tested and paid for by goat keepers on the SMS. The price per test at this time is £43 at the VLA labs. I have not had time to ascertain the cost for testing at the SAC but it is likely to be about the same. This cost does not include having the body removed from your premises, removal of the head and transporting it to the lab.

Members of the SMS should have been notified of these changes by their Local Animal Health Office.

If anyone has any questions or comments, please let me know & I'll try to get answers.

The changes to the rules of the SMS have been introduced by the EU.

Thanks to: Sandra Stevenson for asking questions and sending me information; to Colin Pow for answering my questions so promptly and to David Harwood for obtaining costings for the VLA lab test even quicker.

Charlie Peck

1. The European Commission is currently reviewing EU wide surveillance for sheep and goats in the light of the two years of intensive testing which has not led to the detection of any additional BSE cases. In response to this review, and the likely reduction in surveillance levels, we are making some significant changes to our collection policy for fallen goats (see para. 3)
2. Latest EU proposal -
a) abattoir survey to be suspended for 2007
b) fallen goat survey to be reduced to 500 per annum.

At the Stakeholder meeting last November, we informed the group that would need to review our collection policy for fallen goats in the light of the high numbers collected (2,486 in 2006) and the expected reduction in the testing requirements. We also stressed that we would be unable to collect all fallen goats over 18 months during 2007. So far in 2007, the UK has already met it's requirements and tested 501 fallen goats (up to 3rd March 2007 ) with no scrapie positives.

New Collection Policy

3. We are proposing to continue collecting all eligible goats repoted to the TSE Surveillance Helpline until 31st March 2007 .
   After this date, a quota will be imposed and only 30 fallen goats per month will be collected and disposed of free of charge.
   Fallen goats notified to the Helpline outside of this quota will have to be disposed of by alternative means (e.g. National Fallen Stock Company / local Animal By-Products premises).
   Goat keepers will still be required to notify the TSE Surveillance Helpline on 0800 525890 of any fallen goats aged over 18 months as this will remain a legal requirement.

   We are aware that the industry will not welcome the new policy. However, the free collection service was only introduced to ensure we were able to meet our EU testing obligations. We are certainly grateful for the support the industry has given us over the past two years.

4. Publicity - Defra will notify goat farmers via an article in the next edition of the Farming Link in April 2007.
   2006 survey - 3894 samples submitted of which 2487 * were tested. Target number for testing - 1000.
   2007 survey - 650 samples submitted of which 501 * were tested. Target - 500
   * not all samples were testable.

Tel no. for the National Fallen Stock Company: 0845 0548888
The Defra Helpline told me there will be no collection of fallen stock on the above scheme between 1st & 16th April 2007 .
It is a pity that they gave us so little notice ! Particular note should be made that it will still be a legal requirement to notify deaths of those over 18 months old.

Charlie Peck. (30/3/07)