Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI) has launched a new website as part of an industry campaign to provide information for farmers on bovine TB.
With the incidence of bovine TB in Northern Ireland at unprecedented levels, the aim of the website is to hold key information and practical advice for dealing with and preventing the infection.
Website content will be expanded with time and in line with emerging research
findings and reports, AHWNI said.
Challenging disease
Commenting on the launch of the website, AHWNI chief executive Dr. Sam Strain said: “Bovine TB is a complex and hugely challenging disease, impacting animal health and welfare, and can have devastating knock-on effects on human health as well as farm business profitability.
“Given that many factors are involved in its spread, tackling bovine TB successfully will require a multi-faceted and multi-agency approach.
“While the cattle industry in NI does not currently have all the tools required to deal with bovine TB, one area that can be progressed is the provision of independent advice to farmers.”
He said that the new website, TBFreeNI.com, is one of a number of actions that needs to be taken if TB is to be effectively controlled.
Other actions, he said, include reducing the risk of purchasing infected livestock as well as the infection risk from wildlife.
“However, fundamental to controlling the infection is understanding it and knowing some of the measures farmers can take to reduce the risk of infection spread,” he said.
“This is why we’ve developed this website.”
