Vol. 488 No. 4
130 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the scientific justification there is for herds which, following the removal of a TB reactor that proved negative and subsequently tested clear and the herds are not restricted by his Department, having to undergo a further TB and brucellosis test within six months of being derestricted. [6233/98]
Under EU legislation herds which are restricted and have their status suspended or withdrawn are scheduled for a check test for tuberculosis six months after their clearance test. In 1997 the six month check test revealed three times the rate of infection as the annual round test and should, therefore, be regarded as an important element of the eradication programme. Brucellosis testing at this six month interval is not normally carried out but may be undertaken in some of the southern counties where this disease is problematic and the timing of the tuberculin test is appropriate.
The tuberculin test is the legal EU test for determination of infection. The subsequent non-detection of infection at post mortem does not denote that an animal is clear of infection.
