TB Advisory Service

The national TB Advisory Service for farmers, launched in October 2017, is continuing under a new contract delivered by Farmcare Solutions. This is a collaboration between Vet Partners, Independent Vet Care, UK Farmcare and Obligace (a consortium of independent veterinary practices). Both cattle farmers and keepers of farmed non-bovine animals in all areas of England can register for the free service by telephone or email.

The TB Advisory service provides free, bespoke advice about practical, cost-effective measures to build herd/flock resilience to bovine TB through:

 
 
TBAS logo - Bovine TB
Mother and calf - TB Hub

How can TBAS help you?

“We were in a rut of thinking that TB is inevitable. The TB Advisory Service visit helped us to realise that there are many things we can do to reduce our chances of getting bovine TB.”
Holstein cattle grazing - Bovine TB
Dairy farmer
Somerset
Farmyard view - TB Hub

On-farm advice visits

The TB Advisory Service offers one-to-one on-farm advice visits, where experienced advisors provide bespoke recommendations to reduce the risk of TB infection in herds/flocks that are currently TB-free, whilst discussing trading options and measures to prevent repeated re-infection for farms that are currently under TB restrictions.

Eligible farmers can request an advisory visit with the service’s trained bovine TB advisers at no cost. Advisory visits normally take around two hours, and if your vet has completed the TBAS training they can deliver the visits for you. We also have a team of experienced independent TBAS advisers who can visit your farm, and your own vet is very welcome to attend too.

Farm paperwork - TB hub

The adviser will ask about your farm business, concerns you currently have about bovine TB, and issues you may face in the future. The adviser will then walk around your farm buildings and fields with you to better understand your current situation and assess on-farm biosecurity. At the end of the visit, the adviser will discuss with you what they have seen and what they feel you can do to improve your herd/flock's resilience to bovine TB. 

After the visit you will receive a bespoke report including a list of areas where TB biosecurity could be improved, and four recommendations of practical measures you can implement to improve on-farm biosecurity and trading practices, which TBAS would like you to complete before a follow up visit 3-6 months after the initial one.

Bulls at country show - TB Hub

Telephone advice service 

A team of experienced telephone advisers are on hand to help with queries regarding bovine TB as well as discuss available options, regarding a free on-site visit and/or telephone advice. The TBAS telephone line is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday or you can ask a question via the contact us page on the TBAS website. Most queries can be answered there and then. More complicated queries may be passed on to a more senior adviser, which would require a call back.

The TB Advisory Service (TBAS) is a DEFRA funded project that offers free, bespoke, practical and cost-effective advice to all eligible farmers in England to help reduce the risks associated with bTB

Up to the end of September 2023 TBAS had trained 378 TBAS veterinary advisers from over 140 practices across England to deliver 1,551 initial visits on farm. Between October 2022 and September 2023 over 62% of the visits were to herds currently officially TB free, reiterating that TBAS visits are not just for TB breakdown herds but is a pro-active tool to reduce the chance of a future breakdown. The majority of visits
are delivered in the High-Risk Area however almost 20% have been delivered in the Edge Area and close to 40% have been to farmers in the Low-Risk Area. At the end of the visit the keeper and adviser agree on four recommendations to implement to help reduce their chance of a bTB breakdown.

The top 5 recommendations completed between October 2022 – September 2023 are:

1. Stock pre-move – Use ibTB.co.uk prior to purchase to ascertain number of years TB free.
2. Badgers – Install wildlife cameras.
3. Badgers – Use badger-proofed licks.
4. Stock pre-move – Use ibTB.co.uk prior to purchase to determine risk of local spread around vendors holding.
5. Badgers – If no livestock are currently in the field, cover troughs or empty and disinfect.

If you are a keeper of TB susceptible species (cattle, camelids, deer, goats, pigs or sheep) in England and would like to know more about the service please visit www.tbas.org.uk.

If you would like to book a TBAS visit, please contact the team on 01306 779410 or email [email protected].

If you are a veterinary surgeon who would like to deliver TBAS visits, please contact us by emailing [email protected].