Roger Williams MP
Roger Williams MP has pressed the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to use all the measures that he has available to him to bear down on the terrible disease of Bovine TB.
Roger Williams mentioned in particular the Polymerase Chain Reaction test, which can be used to identify infected badgers and the sets at which infected badgers live. This would be very useful in targeting the cull at those badgers that are spreading disease to their healthy neighbours and to cattle. However, the badger vaccine, which is thought to be 70% effective, does not cure infected badgers. Therefore, particularly in regions where TB is spreading, a targeted cull on infected badgers and their sets, while protecting the healthy badgers with vaccine, could be very effective.
Roger Williams, Lib Dem MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, said:
“I have heard that progress is being made on the PCR test. I have urged the Minister to make all resources available to ensure that a dependable test can be produced as soon as possible. The research is taking place in Warwick University and I hope to visit the researchers and to see the work for myself.
“My constituency, Brecon and Radnorshire, is badly affected with Bovine TB and testing and slaughtering infected cattle is not working. Therefore we need to be using all means at our disposal to tackle this terrible disease.”
During DEFRA Questions in the House of Commons, Roger Williams asked:
Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire) (LD):
I welcome the Secretary of State’s using all means at his disposal to control the disease. One of those is the polymerase chain reaction test, which will be able to identify infected live badgers and the sets in which they live. Will he ensure that all the available resources go into promoting that test, which could have a role in controlling bovine TB?
Mr Paterson:
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that it would be a huge change if we could use PCR to analyse diseased badgers on the spot. That would change the whole debate and would be an enormous help in disease reduction. We have been working closely with the university of Warwick and are bringing in other agencies to see whether we can accelerate that work. Sadly, PCR is not yet reliable enough. If we can get a greater than 50% chance of identification, it will cause a sea change on this issue.
