New figures published today show an increase of 9.6 per cent in cattle slaughtered for TB in England, which has now reached a figure of 38,010. It provokes a number of serious concerns.
To summarise the problem: The cost of compensation to the taxpayer rises as the costs in the following categories:
1. The compensation paid to farmers
2. Costs of testing - vet visits to farms etc
3. Costs of badger and other wildlife controls
Added to this is the cost to the farmer of lost sales of cattle and milk interruption, plus the costs of herding for testing, and associated weight losses.
