Scottish bovine TB cases tumbled in 2021
RESEARCH conducted at Scotland’s Rural College is being cited more than ever before, according to the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The 2023 list shows the growing ‘power and impact’ of the institution’s research, with the number of citations seeing SRUC rise to 121st in the world out of 1799 universities – up from 254th in 2022 and 310th in 2021.
In terms of research citations, it is also third in Scotland after the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and 22nd overall in the UK.
Among the highly cited papers was SRUC work published in Nature Biotechnology which helped to identify species in the rumen of cattle and the enzyme processes that are likely to operate – information which not only informs why the methane produced by livestock varies but also identifies target enzymes for industrial purposes.
Principal and chief executive of SRUC, Professor Wayne Powell, said: “As we attempt to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society, including climate change and food security, meaningful research is more important than ever.
“Earlier this year, the Research Excellence Framework ranked the research power of Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences at SRUC and the University of Edinburgh number one in the UK based on quality and breadth of work.
“The World University Rankings are further confirmation that SRUC’s research output is having decisive impact across multiple sectors, driving innovation and productivity growth in the natural economy.”
LAST year the number of bovine tuberculosis cases in Scotland tumbled to the lowest in decades, with only seven confirmed herd incidents.
This was nearly half the rate in 2020, which had 13 confirmed herd breakdowns, with lower numbers not found since the four recorded in 2000 and five in 1998.
The figures obtained by The Scottish Farmer show that the total number of cattle tested in 2021 for bovine TB was 208,000, which resulted in 238 cattle flagged up as skin and gamma test reactors. Since going TB-free in 2009, Scotland has seen the annual number of reactors fluctuate between 150 and 496.
The latest figures, from June 2022, show that Wigtownshire was the worst affected county with eight herds not officially TB free. This was followed by Lanarkshire and Invernessshire with two cases. Counties with one case in summer this year were Ayrshire, Banffshire, Bute, East Lothian and Kirkcudbrightshire. After testing some of these herds may not actually have TB and others could be linked to other farmers or a continuation of a historic issue, so the total number of outbreaks may appear lower when recorded across the entire country for the year.
Since 1996, unsurprisingly, the main areas with TB has been the in the counties with the highest concentration of cattle, these being Wigtown, Aberdeenshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries. This summer there were 142 herds restricted with TB across the country. Coming through the tests in abattoirs, there were five confirmed TB cases last year, which is the lowest number since 2014.
To maintain Scotland’s official free TB free status 99.9% of the cattle population must be free of TB. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is important that cattle owners continue to exercise responsible practices so as not to put our OTF status at risk. This includes having strong biosecurity and practicing responsible purchasing of cattle.”
Livestock Health Scotland chair Nigel Miller said: “It has been good year, although it is worth remembering the stress and loss which individuals have suffered. The number of reactors identified is still quite high – perhaps that reflects the size of herds affected and the implications of TB for large units or businesses with multiple units which can pull large number of animals into a breakdown scenario. I guess it also reflects the routine use of gamma interferon in breakdown herds.
“As the industry changes, especially the dairy sector with steadily increasing herd sizes, the implications of TB become more significant. The poultry and pig sectors have business models which reduce or break disease pathways between different breeding units or holdings – that approach should be built into cattle businesses operating across several units or holdings.
“I think although there is cause to celebrate and also to thank many Scottish producers who have taken care when sourcing stock, the risk has not disappeared despite more intense testing in the high incidence areas of the UK there is a significant population of risk animals and the sensitivity of testing has limitations. TB is also a slow disease with the ability to emerge in older animals which have previously tested negative as age or stress reduces immunity. Scotland will continue to be at risk until control is achieved in the high incidence areas.
“That challenge means that incidents may well bounce back to a more typical level next year,” warned Mr Miller. “Maintaining risk management in Scottish herds around sourcing stock has the potential to edge the average number of positive herd incidents down slowly and perhaps this data set is a sign of that trend.”
The figures obtained also showed that Scotland has 13,037 cattle herds as of June this year, a figure which has been consistently falling from over 19,000 in 1996. The county which lost the biggest proportion of their herds over that time was Nairn, which lost 54%, while Shetland lost the fewest, with only a drop of 7%. In general the areas which could switch to arable production more easily lost a bigger proportion of their herds, with Angus, Kincardineshire, Fife, Moray and Perth all losing over 40% of their herd. The South West dairy areas have lost less than the average proportion of herds.