BOVINE TB IN FOXHOUNDS

That this House is gravely concerned at the news that 25 of the Kimblewick Hunt's hounds have been put down because they were infected with bovine TB and 120 others are undergoing tests; notes the very serious risk of infection for farm animals, as the Kimblewick Hunt stretches across large areas of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire; recalls advice by Chief Veterinary Officer, Mr Nigel Gibbens, on species-to-species disease transfer risk, when he warned that it is unsafe to take a pet labrador out in the woods for fear it might catch bovine TB from badgers and subsequently infect its owners; and calls on the Government to take the precautionary measure of suspending hunting activity until all hound packs are declared free of bovine TB infection.