BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS

That this House notes with concern that since 1997 bovine tuberculosis has cost the taxpayer well in excess of £600 million and resulted in the slaughter of over 200,000 cattle; notes that it is likely a record total approaching 40,000 head will be slaughtered in 2008; deplores the lack of a comprehensive strategy to tackle the disease; believes that a package of measures is required which addresses both cattle-to-cattle transmission and the reservoir of infection in wildlife; urges the urgent trialling of vaccines and the polymerase chain reaction test to identify live vectors of the disease; and calls on the Government to take the practical measures necessary to reduce the toll of bovine TB on wildlife, cattle and the British farming industry.