PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Bovine Tuberculosis (13 April 2016)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of Officially Tuberculosis Free-Withdrawn breakdowns were detected by slaughterhouse surveillance in (a) High Risk, (b) Edge and (c) Low Risk bovine tuberculosis areas in 2015.

Asked by:
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)

Statistics on the number and proportion of new Officially Tuberculosis Free-Withdrawn (OTF-W TB) breakdowns first detected at slaughterhouse surveillance (i.e. post-mortem meat inspection of cattle at commercial slaughter) in 2014 in the three risk areas of England are published in table 5.1 in the Annual Bovine TB Surveillance Report for England (2014). The historic annual data series are shown in Figure 5.1 of the same report. The report is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/467803/england-surveillance-report14.pdf

Risk Area	Total OTF-W new breakdowns	OTF-W breakdowns first detected at slaughterhouse	Proportion of OTF-W breakdowns first detected at slaughterhouse	OTF-W breakdowns disclosed through skin testing
High Risk Area	2,527	500	19.8%	2,027
Edge	185	33	17.8%	152
Low Risk Area	35	13	37.1%	22

The Surveillance Report covering 2015 is expected to be published in August 2016.

Answered by:
George Eustice (Conservative)
18 April 2016