From 2 October 2023, cattle keepers will be able to apply for a general licence, known as licence TB16e, that covers the onward movement of cattle from TB restricted holdings either directly, or through an ‘orange market’ in England and Wales to:
- An AFU (Approved finishing unit) or AFUE (Approved finishing unit – enhanced with grazing).
- A licenced slaughterhouse.
The general licence will be valid for the time between short-interval tests. Following each short-interval test, cattle keepers will need to apply for a new licence.
It is hoped that the new system will help to streamline the process of moving cattle whilst under restrictions, allowing greater flexibility and reducing the amount of administration required by farmers and the APHA, whilst maintaining traceability and disease control.
“Getting stakeholders out on farm to bring issues to life has resulted in practical policy solutions that will make a real difference to industry and ease the management of TB restricted calves.”
NFU Deputy President Tom Bradshaw
Under current rules, the time needed to complete this process often made it difficult for cattle keepers to meet the demands of cattle purchasers.
The licence, including detailed conditions will be published on GOV.UK, GOV.WALES and the TB hub will be updated. APHA will also be writing to directly to market operators of TB dedicated sales in England and Wales to inform them of the changes.
NFU welcomes announcement
Welcoming the news, NFU Deputy President Tom Bradshaw described the announcement as “common sense”, with the new arrangements removing “unnecessary red tape” from the current process for all parties.
This was echoed by NFU Dairy Board chair Michael Oakes, who said that the current arrangement “puts additional strain on farm”. He added: “This policy change is particularly welcome as it will help provide greater flexibility to producers when trading restricted cattle into orange markets or TB licensed units.”
A meaningful policy change
The new general licence was advocated for by the Bovine TB Sub-Group, a collaboration between the NFU, Defra, APHA, AHDB, the Welsh government and representatives from the dairy and beef supply chains.
The sub-group, which was formed to identify solutions to increase access for TB restricted cattle as part of the GB Calf Strategy 2020-23, remains committed to advocating the need for further enhancements to these supply chains.
Speaking on the work of the sub-group, Tom said: “This marks a great start for GB Calf Week and reflects the benefits of working in partnership across England and Wales which has been achieved within the Bovine TB sub-group.
“Getting stakeholders out on farm to bring issues to life has resulted in practical policy solutions that will make a real difference to industry and ease the management of TB restricted calves.”
Announcement on the eve of GB Calf Week
The announcement came just before the launch of GB Calf Week 2023, which launched at UK Dairy Day on 12 September in Telford.
With one of the main focus areas of the week being on genetics and TB, a panel discussion took place on the launch day on the topics of dairy-beef calf genetics and the movement of calves from TB restricted units.
You can hear Tom Bradshaw and Michael Oakes discussing the outcomes of the Bovine TB sub-group in Episode 409 of AHDB's Food and Farming podcast, released on 13 September 2023. Listen at: AHDB Food and Farming | Talking Bovine TB and GB Dairy Calf Strategy
