Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Working with CHECS - for vets

Your first action is to understand what CHECS programmes entail. You can find this from the Technical Documents in the Downloads section of this website. You can also find out more about the practicalities of working through a CHECS disease control programme by contacting a health scheme direct. You can discover which schemes cover your location here.

CHECS-licensed health schemes always work through the herd vet, as they are the professionals best-placed to understand the challenges a herd is facing from endemic infectious disease. Whether it’s taking blood samples to send off for testing, or reviewing biosecurity protocols, the herd vet is central to all CHECS programmes. 

There is an annual membership fee to be paid by cattle owners to their chosen health schemes plus all fees for laboratory testing required under disease programme rules. And they will  have to pay for your time, although you may be able to combine visits with other activities. Bear in mind that there is a considerable hidden cost to endemic infectious disease in a cattle herd.

Further information on likely charges can be found in the ‘Costs’ section or directly from the scheme provider.

This might be a question to ask your potential chosen health scheme provider as test results vary slightly between providers and also depending on the type of sample and testing being carried out. Results generally take around seven to 10 days.

CHECS is acknowledged as the ‘gold standard’ in infectious disease control and therefore if you follow CHECS protocols, you will have the confidence of knowing you and your clients are following the latest, most robust advice to get on top of their disease issues. However, programmes like BVDFree and Action Johne’s are very useful at an entry-level, and many producers go on to take part in a CHECS programme. There is also anecdotal evidence that both commercial and pedigree cattle sellers realise better prices when selling stock which comes from a CHECS-accredited herd. 

If you are a member of the BCVA, you can approach them for more information and guidance. You can also find out more about the practicalities of working through a CHECS disease control programme by contacting a health scheme direct. You can discover which schemes cover your location here.

Working with CHECS - for cattle owners

It is the scheme laboratories that actually issue the certificates, not CHECS. Remember, CHECS is not a herd health scheme. Its role is to oversee and standardise the various CHECS approved UK and Ireland health schemes that it licenses. You can discover which schemes cover your location here.

There is an annual membership fee to be paid to your chosen health schemes plus all fees for laboratory testing required under disease programme rules.

Further information on likely charges can be found in the ‘Costs’ section or directly from the scheme provider.

The ‘Find a health scheme’ tool enables you to shortlist the schemes covering your farm location and the diseases you wish to control. The role of CHECS is to ensure the standards of all schemes are consistent, whether you’re farming in the Highlands of Scotland or on the Devonshire coast.

A healthy herd is a productive herd so improving the health and welfare of your cattle should give you a noticeable reduction in losses and improvements in productivity.

There are also marketing advantages to being part of a CHECS licensed scheme, it can help with the sale of breeding stock as well as give you a commercial edge when negotiating milk or beef supply contracts. And with the UK leaving the EU, marketability and traceability will become increasingly important.

Some producers join to save money on blood testing or to get access to more specialist advice. Whatever your motivation, joining is straightforward and there’s plenty of support provided.

This might be a question to ask your potential chosen health scheme provider as test results vary slightly between providers and also depending on the type of sample and testing being carried out. Results generally take around seven to 10 days.

Yes, CHECS audits about 250 farms each year to see how farmers and their herd vets are adhering to the health scheme’s requirements. If evidence of non-conformance is found then remedial action must be taken or the farmer risks losing any status gained.

CHECS additionally carries out random spot-checks at country shows, winter fairs, sales and markets to ensure scheme participants are adhering to biosecurity rules.

Find out more on our Audit page.

There is currently no central national database of accredited stock, however each scheme maintains its own database of members (location, breed, disease health status) on their websites. So a prospective purchaser will need to know which scheme the vendor’s herd is registered with and if it then does not appear on that scheme’s database, it would be prudent to ask why not.

Tackling TB with CHECS - for vets

The vet needs to sign off the farmer’s commitments on biosecurity. To do this, they need to have undertaken the short (4-hour total) BCVA-Accredited TB Veterinary Advisor (BATVA) training course, which can be completed over several sessions if required. This is so they can make the necessary declarations for Entry Level Membership, which is part of TB Herd Accreditation from 1 August 2021. The training includes a range of modules delivering the latest information on risk factors in TB spread, epidemiology of the disease in badgers and cattle, as well as communications and engagement skills. While many vets deal with TB on a daily basis, scientific and technical understanding of the disease is developing rapidly, and vets should find the information very helpful.

A BATVA is a British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) TB-Accredited Veterinary Advisor, a qualified veterinary surgeon who has undergone a 4-hour BCVA training course meaning they can advise a farmer on implementing biosecurity measures then complete the declaration for CHECS TB Entry Level Membership.

TB is evolving rapidly.  As CHECS TB Entry Level Membership is about starting a conversation about risk pathways between veterinary surgeon and farmer, the BATVA course will equip veterinary surgeons with the latest information they need to advise their clients. Unlike other disease control programmes or CHECS TB Herd Accreditation, there is no confirmatory testing associated with Entry Level Membership, so training also helps to give the veterinary surgeon the right support about the chosen interventions.

By going to the Continuing Professional Development section on the BCVA website (www.bcva.org.uk) and clicking on the BATVA link.

The training is broken down into modules for the six biosecurity Risk Factor sections but there will also be tuition on background knowledge and communications skills. The course will be online and available to complete over a number of sessions, if required. The training fee for BCVA members will be £10, and £55 for veterinary surgeons who are not BCVA members. Only qualified veterinary surgeons can complete the course. Upon completion, each vet will be awarded a registration number which they can use when completing the CHECS TB Entry Level Membership assessment. BCVA will retain a register of trained vets in case of the need to cross-check.

A large part of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation is based on the statutory testing results from APHA, whereas no such secondary validation is available for Entry Level Membership. Therefore, the training ensures you are informed, supported and protected. CHECS TB Entry Level Membership becomes an integral part of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation from 1 August 2021, so this will introduce veterinary surgeon training into Herd Accreditation as well.

The herd vet plays a critical role in working with the farmer to address biosecurity and practices which might increase risk of a breakdown. neither TB Entry level Membership nor TB Herd Accreditation can operate without the involvement of the herd vet to advise the farmer and sign off on biosecurity measures. 

Tackling TB with CHECS - for cattle owners

How the CHECS TB programmes work

There are two CHECS TB programmes, both of which aim to help farmers take a proactive approach to controlling the disease. CHECS TB Herd Accreditation has been available since 2016. CHECS TB Entry Level Membership was launched in May 2021. From 1 August 2021 the two will be linked, with CHECS TB Entry Level Membership forming the first stage of obtaining CHECS TB Herd Accreditation. Both operate on the principle of adopting good biosecurity measures and working with your herd veterinary surgeon to minimise the risk of TB entering your herd. Use the ‘Find a health scheme’ tool on this website to locate health schemes to work with.

 

Both are voluntary. If you join you must meet the programme requirements but it is your choice whether to declare you are participating in them, for example when selling cattle. You do, however, need to continue meeting statutory requirements.

For CHECS TB Entry Level Membership, the main benefit is that risk of a TB breakdown can be reduced through the adoption of a range of easily achievable and effective ‘no regrets’ biosecurity measures. Membership also means you can prove you achieve a good standard of biosecurity to customers or purchasers. For CHECS TB Herd Accreditation both Welsh Government and Defra offer earned recognition opportunities:

England

Herds in the High Risk and Edge areas of England that are on six-monthly surveillance TB testing can remain on annual testing if they are CHECS TB Herd Accredited and have a score of at least 1. See more details here. Additionally, the 50% reduction in compensation applied for animals moved into a TB breakdown herd that are subsequently removed as TB reactors does not apply if the herd is CHECS TB Herd Accredited. See more details here.

Wales

Homebred cattle coming from a CHECS TB Herd Accredited score 10 herd do not have to undergo post-movement TB testing. See more details here.

You can apply to one of the participating health schemes by using the ‘Find a health scheme’ search facility on this website. They will send you the required paperwork. Make sure you specify which scheme you are joining; CHECS TB Entry Level Membership or CHECS TB Herd Accreditation (please note that from 1 August 2021, CHECS TB Herd Accreditation requires you to have also done CHECS TB Entry Level Membership as the first stage).

Yes, you can join both CHECS TB programmes but it should be noted that for CHECS TB Herd Accreditation bought-in animals that you subsequently sell cannot be sold with your herd’s CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score. Only homebred animals can be sold with your herd’s CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score. This is in line with the CHECS accreditation schemes for other diseases.

CHECS TB Entry Level Membership

The roots for TB Entry Level Membership originated in Defra’s ‘Next steps for the strategy for achieving bovine tuberculosis free status for England’ report, published in March 2020 in response to the Godfray review. In this report the high standard required and low uptake of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation was acknowledged and the benefits of encouraging the cattle industry to adopt a smaller set of ‘no regrets’ biosecurity measures were discussed. This idea has developed into CHECS TB Entry Level Membership, providing an achievable first step for a farm business to take more control of TB risk using better biosecurity.

No to both questions. CHECS TB Entry Level Membership is completely voluntary. In time, however, it may provide a useful indication of the level of biosecurity engagement by a farmer selling breeding livestock, milk or meat and thus attract earned recognition from customers and suppliers. It is also an integral part of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation from August 2021.

Farmers wishing to apply for Membership must comply with at least one biosecurity option from each of six different biosecurity Risk Factors. CHECS TB Entry Level Membership operates in addition to statutory requirements, and only requires the involvement of the BCVA-Accredited TB Veterinary Advisor (BATVA – who has undertaken the short training course developed by BCVA), the farmer and the chosen health scheme.

They are:

  • Risk Factor 1: Minimise risk from purchased cattle
  • Risk Factor 2: Minimise TB risk from contact with cattle in other herds
  • Risk Factor 3: Minimise TB risk from your own animals
  • Risk Factor 4: Minimise the spread of TB through muck or slurry
  • Risk Factor 5: Reduce TB risk to and from badgers
  • Risk Factor 6: Have a TB failure contingency plan

The vet needs to sign off the farmer’s commitments on biosecurity. To do this, they need to have undertaken the short (4-hour total) BCVA-Accredited TB Veterinary Advisor (BATVA) training course, which can be completed over several sessions if required. The training includes a range of modules delivering the latest information on risk factors in TB spread, epidemiology of the disease in badgers and cattle, as well as communications and engagement skills. While many vets deal with TB on a daily basis, scientific and technical understanding of the disease is developing rapidly, and vets should find the information very helpful.

Knowledge about bovine TB is evolving rapidly. As CHECS TB Entry Level Membership is about starting a conversation about risk pathways between veterinary surgeon and farmer, the BATVA course will equip veterinary surgeons with the latest information they need to advise their clients. Unlike other disease control programmes or CHECS TB Herd Accreditation, there is no confirmatory testing associated with Entry Level Membership, so training also helps to give the veterinary surgeon the right support about the chosen interventions.

A large part of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation is based on the statutory testing results from APHA, whereas no such secondary validation is available for Entry Level Membership. Therefore, the training ensures the veterinary surgeon is informed, supported and protected. CHECS TB Entry Level Membership becomes an integral part of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation from 1 August 2021, so this will introduce veterinary surgeon training into Herd Accreditation as well.

Both are organised under the six biosecurity Risk Factors. CHECS TB Entry Level Membership offers a number of options in each Risk Factor and the farmer has to commit – as a minimum – to the most appropriate one in each for their farm situation, although they are encouraged to commit to more. If the farmer decides to take the next step, CHECS TB Herd Accreditation builds on CHECS TB Entry Level Membership with further requirements under the same six categories and, in some cases, asking for multiple criteria to be met in each. If you apply for CHECS TB Herd Accreditation you must, from August 2021, complete CHECS TB Entry Level Membership as part of your Accreditation.

The main benefit for farmers is reduced risk of a TB breakdown through adoption of a range of achievable and effective ‘no regrets’ biosecurity measures. It also means they can prove they achieve a good standard of biosecurity to customers or purchasers.

The cattle health scheme providers will use a standard Membership form, branded with their logo. The form will double as checklist and proof that the standard has been reached, hence it needs to be a standard format.

The training is broken down into modules for the six biosecurity Risk Factor sections but there will also be tuition on background knowledge and communications skills. The course will be online and available to complete over a number of sessions, if required. The training fee for BCVA members will be £10, and £55 for veterinary surgeons who are not BCVA members. Only qualified veterinary surgeons can complete the course. Upon completion, each vet will be awarded a registration number which they use when completing the CHECS TB Entry Level Membership assessment. BCVA will retain a register of trained vets in case of the need to cross-check.

The main cost will be the time of the veterinary surgeon, but this can be minimised by combining this process with routine veterinary visits. Each health scheme may charge slightly differently, but as the information is being handled on a herd rather than individual animal basis and there is no testing involved, the annual charge is likely to range from £10 to £40 all depending on whether farmers are participating in other CHECS disease programmes; always check with the provider.

CHECS is owned by the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA), the National Beef Association (NBA) and Holstein UK. Cattle health schemes licensed by CHECS pay annual fees which help fund CHECS operations. Defra has also contributed towards development of the CHECS TB Entry Level Membership, recognising that it delivers a key recommendation in its strategy for achieving officially TB free status for England.

Farmers can approach a participating CHECS-licensed health scheme provider directly (go to www.checs.co.uk to find participating schemes) or join with the help of their BATVA. The health scheme will send through a form which needs to be completed by the farmer and the BATVA, who agree to implementing a selection of biosecurity interventions that will reduce the chance or length of a TB breakdown and build resilience into a farm’s business. The farmer and BATVA both need to sign the declaration and return the form to the health scheme provider, which checks against a register kept by BCVA that the veterinary signatory has undergone the required training. The health scheme provider then sends final copies to both vet and farmer as well as keeping a copy on file. This process is renewed annually.

In line with other CHECS disease programmes, participants are expected to renew within one month of the due date. If failures are detected at any time through the auditing process, CHECS TB Entry Level Membership will be suspended with immediate effect until the requirements are met.

CHECS TB Herd Accreditation

Statutory control measures are legal measures that must be observed, irrespective of membership of the CHECS programme. However, CHECS TB Herd Accreditation adds extra measures to reduce the risk of introducing TB infection into the herd. Observing these measures results in a lower risk, which is then reflected in an improved score. The main differences between statutory measures and CHECS TB Herd Accreditation requirements are the increased level of pre- and/or post-movement TB testing and the added biosecurity.

APHA runs the statutory testing programme and Defra and the Welsh Government continue to fund it. Pre- and post-movement TB testing will be carried out, as now, by the herd veterinary surgeon at a cost to the seller and buyer respectively, unless testing of the animals in question coincides with their statutory test.

When a farmer from England or Wales joins CHECS TB Herd Accreditation through one of the participating CHECS-licensed health schemes, their details, with their permission, are notified to the centralised database held by APHA and a ‘flag’ will be placed against their record. This means that any change to that record regarding TB testing, restrictions, breakdowns or clear tests will be notified to the CHECS-licensed health scheme provider.

No, the data is the same but how it’s treated is different. With CHECS TB Herd Accreditation, a breakdown in vet-certified quarantine is unlikely to count as a herd breakdown, so CHECS would use the TB10 notice date (date when movement restrictions were lifted) from when the last breakdown not in quarantine occurred to create a CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score. However, the APHA records would still identify a breakdown.

CHECS-licensed health schemes will use a data agreement with you to be able to access your APHA test results.

An animal giving a negative skin test result when re-tested following an inconclusive result is known as a resolved inconclusive reactor (IR). Resolved IRs are at an increased risk of having undisclosed M. bovis infection and, in England, they must be restricted to the holding for life (see more at www.tbhub.co.uk). Resolved IRs should be removed from the herd to slaughter as soon as possible and practical . Under CHECS TB Herd Accreditation, this must be within six months of the initial inconclusive skin test result.

If you have an IR in your herd your CHECS TB Herd Accreditation will be suspended until the animal has been retested. Your CHECS TB Entry Level Membership, however, which forms a basis for Accreditation, will remain in place provided biosecurity commitments continue to be met. If the IR gives a negative result at retest your accreditation score will revert to its previous score although, as mentioned above, it is now a requirement of both CHECS TB programmes to remove resolved IRs from the herd. If the animal has a second consecutive inconclusive test result before it leaves the herd, it will be regarded as a reactor and a breakdown will be deemed to have occurred. Your CHECS score would then be 0 once you are OTF again, unless the animal had been kept in approved quarantine since arriving on the holding. Again, your CHECS TB Entry Level Membership would remain in place, provided biosecurity commitments continue to be met.

If an added animal tests positive while in quarantine, the whole of the holding is subject to restriction in line with statutory requirements. While your Herd Accreditation would be suspended, your CHECS TB Entry Level Membership, which forms a basis for Accreditation, will remain in place provided biosecurity commitments continue to be met. If, during the consequent tests, no test positive animals are found outside of quarantine your herd will be restored to its previous CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score once OTF status is regained. If your herd is in the High Risk or Edge Area of England where six-monthly surveillance testing applies and was benefiting from remaining on annual testing (earned recognition) then it should be permitted to return to annual testing provided the previous score was 1 or above. This will require certification by both the keeper and their veterinary surgeon that the test positive animals were only found in the quarantine facility and that quarantine was maintained.

All animals to be introduced into a CHECS TB Herd Accredited herd must be subjected to a pre-movement skin test by the seller at the holding of origin within 60 days of the proposed introduction unless they have resided, since birth, in a low-incidence area (the Low Risk Area in England, Low TB Area in Wales or in Scotland). While this is a CHECS requirement, it is also a statutory requirement for a farmer in Scotland buying from the Low Risk Area of England. There is already a statutory requirement to pre-movement test (within 60 days before sale) any animals moving off a holding within the six-monthly or annual testing areas into a four-yearly testing area.

You can buy an animal that’s not been pre-movement tested as long as it has resided, since birth, in a low-incidence area (the Low Risk Area in England, Low TB Area in Wales, or in Scotland).

Post-movement skin testing of added animals is compulsory for members of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation unless the animals have resided since birth in a score 10 herd where there is no statutory requirement to pre-movement test. Again, quarantine measures and post-movement testing are also recommended for these, but are not required.

Once you have joined a health scheme, the provider will award a score and issue a certificate depending on the TB test information received back from APHA and declaration from your local veterinary surgeon that you are compliant with the mandatory elements of the CHECS scheme. If your herd is currently under movement restrictions (i.e. not OTF), it will not be possible to receive a CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score until the herd becomes OTF again. The starting CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score will depend on the 10-year TB test data received from APHA. However, your herd will qualify for CHECS TB Entry Level Membership as part of the process of applying for CHECS TB Herd Accreditation, providing the appropriate biosecurity measures have been met. 

The certificate will be reviewed and updated every year unless there is notification of a breakdown. If this happens, CHECS TB Herd Accreditation will be suspended until the herd is OTF again, during which time CHECS TB Entry Level Membership, which forms a basis for Accreditation, will remain in place provided biosecurity commitments continue to be met.

Yes, you can request this and, if your claim is valid, receive an updated certificate, which will then be renewed annually from that point.

Your farm status is unaffected by this but only homebred animals can be sold with your herd’s CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score.

Your farm status is unaffected by this but only homebred animals can be sold with your herd’s CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score.

Where routine statutory six-monthly testing takes place in England, low risk herds should be eligible to reduce to, or remain on, annual testing provided they have been OTF for six years’ worth of clear statutory tests or are participating in CHECS TB Herd Accreditation and are score 1 or above, denoting at least one year since becoming OTF. If an added animal tests positive while in quarantine the entire holding is still subject to movement restrictions in line with statutory requirements. If during the consequent tests no test positive animals are found outside of quarantine the herd will be restored to its previous CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score once OTF status is regained and therefore should be permitted to return to annual testing provided the previous score was 1 or above. Note, this can only happen after the statutory six-month post-breakdown test has been passed and therefore annual testing can only resume following a clear six-month test. For the herd to resume its former CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score, certification will be needed from both the keeper and their veterinary surgeon that the test positive animals were only found in the quarantine facility and that quarantine was maintained.

My veterinary surgeon and CHECS TB programmes

The vet needs to sign off the farmer’s commitments on biosecurity. To do this, they need to have undertaken the short (4-hour total) BCVA-Accredited TB Veterinary Advisor (BATVA) training course, which can be completed over several sessions if required. This is so they can make the necessary declarations for Entry Level Membership, which is part of TB Herd Accreditation from 1 August 2021. The training includes a range of modules delivering the latest information on risk factors in TB spread, epidemiology of the disease in badgers and cattle, as well as communications and engagement skills. While many vets deal with TB on a daily basis, scientific and technical understanding of the disease is developing rapidly, and vets should find the information very helpful.

Knowledge on bovine TB is evolving rapidly. This programme is about initiating conversations between farmers and veterinary surgeons about control of bovine TB, and specialised training needs to support this process. This was why the BCVA TB accredited veterinary advisor (BATVA) training course was developed; vets will need to have completed the course before they can sign off TB Entry Level Membership, which is also part of TB Herd Accreditation from 1 August 2021.

A BATVA is a British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) TB-Accredited Veterinary Advisor, a qualified veterinary surgeon who has undergone a 4-hour BCVA training course meaning they can advise a farmer on implementing biosecurity measures then complete the declaration for CHECS TB Entry Level Membership.

By going to the Continuing Professional Development section on the BCVA website (www.bcva.org.uk) and clicking on the BATVA link.

A large part of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation is based on the statutory testing results from APHA, whereas no such secondary validation is available for Entry Level Membership. Therefore, the training ensures the veterinary surgeon is informed, supported and protected. CHECS TB Entry Level Membership becomes an integral part of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation from 1 August 2021, so this will introduce veterinary surgeon training into Herd Accreditation as well.

Your BATVA needs to work with you to advise on recommendations for enhanced biosecurity, before they co-sign the declaration of commitments you are making for scheme membership. To do this, they need to have undertaken the BCVA TB-accredited veterinary advisor (BATVA) training course (can be completed over several sessions), which delivers the latest information on risk factors in TB spread, and epidemiology of the disease in badgers and cattle.

Biosecurity requirements

Your herd veterinary surgeon must make an annual declaration that you are abiding by the mandatory biosecurity measures required by both CHECS programmes. With CHECS TB Entry Level Membership only one of a range of measures is required in each of six biosecurity Risk Factors whereas CHECS TB Herd Accreditation requires a more comprehensive approach. For example, where livestock risk physical contact with cattle owned by another keeper there should be a gap of at least three metres between the animals to prevent contact. Certifying these requirements have been met may require additional time but if you and your veterinary surgeon have already been working together to combat TB, these aspects may already be known and just require certification.

Various requirements are laid out in the Technical Document for CHECS TB programmes which is downloadable from the ‘Resources’ section of this website. You and your vet are also recommended to follow good practice guidelines at www.tbhub.co.uk/preventing-tb-breakdowns/biosecurity/

Costs of CHECS TB programmes

All CHECS disease programmes, with the exception of CHECS TB Entry Level Membership, carry extra testing requirements as this is needed to gain certification. The cost of doing this will vary depending on your veterinary surgeon but needs to be balanced against the reduced risk of breakdown and potential added-value of a lower risk status.

Extra testing, as required by CHECS TB Herd Accreditation, can be reduced by combining testing with your veterinary surgeon’s herd visits or statutory testing. Average cost per animal can be reduced by testing more animals at the same time to dilute the cost of the herd visit. It might also be useful to combine this with other CHECS disease control programmes as similar quarantine and biosecurity measures apply to all and some veterinary surgeon costs can be defrayed by dealing with more than one disease at a time.

Each health scheme will charge slightly differently, but as the information is being handled on a herd rather than individual animal basis the annual charge is likely to on a par with other CHECS disease programmes. The main cost is likely to be veterinary surgeon time, which can be reduced through combining any additional required testing or inspection and certification with other testing and routine visits. More details can be found under TB on the CHECS website.

Buying/selling animals on CHECS TB programmes, and Risk-based Trading

As a member of either CHECS TB programme you will receive some form of certification. With CHECS TB Entry Level Membership the form signed by both farmer and veterinary surgeon constitutes the certificate and is valid for a year. It is not affected by TB breakdowns although your ability to sell animals would be as it only declares that you sustain a certain level of biosecurity on your farm. The certificate for CHECS TB Herd Accreditation will declare your score and is valid for 12 months unless a breakdown occurs, after which a new certificate will be issued. You can also request your CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score is reviewed at any point in the year if you think you may have moved into a different risk bracket. At sale, if you wish to use your CHECS TB Entry Level Membership or CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score, you simply take your current certificate to the auction mart or show it to the seller in a direct sale. While all animals can be declared as coming from a herd with TB Entry Level Membership, only homebred animals will be sold with your herd’s CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score. This is in line with the CHECS accreditation schemes for other diseases.

If the person selling the animals has CHECS TB Entry Level Membership this simply informs you about their biosecurity standards and can be communicated in the sales information. If they are a member of CHECS TB Herd Accreditation and wish to divulge the CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score of their holding at the point of the sale the information should be communicated in the same way a BVD or other disease status is communicated, either verbally or on a display board. However, the CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score of the herd from which the animal has come does not transfer to your herd and the animal cannot be sold on again under CHECS TB Herd Accreditation. Only homebred animals can be sold with your herd’s CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score. This is in line with the CHECS accreditation schemes for other diseases. Similarly, CHECS TB Entry Level Membership is only held by the farm with Membership; it does not confer to any sold animals.

Your CHECS TB Entry Level Membership belongs to the farm, not the animals, so can be communicated as a detail about the seller. Animals you have bought from a CHECS TB Herd Accredited farm can only have a CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score used at their first sale. After that they cannot be awarded a score, irrespective of the farm they are being kept on or if they have been on CHECS holdings at all times.

No. Individual scoring would be too complex. Homebred animals are awarded your risk score; bought-in animals would fall outside the scheme and do not have a score.

No because the status belongs to the herd and not the individual animal.

A CHECS TB Herd Accredited farm would be advised to batch homebred animals together so that they can be sold with the same risk status (bought-in animals can’t acquire a herd’s risk status at sale). There is also an option to not declare the risk status if preferred.

This may be possible in the future under the Livestock Information Service. This service aims to collate data from a number of different databases on a daily basis so that disease status and CHECS TB Herd Accreditation, among other things, can be communicated automatically. Otherwise, you should request the status be declared by the auctioneer.

It is your choice. A score 0 animal is still a lower risk than unclassified animals and you will still have CHECS TB Entry Level Membership by default. This does not necessarily mean that unclassified animals or those without CHECS TB Entry Level Membership are going to have, or transmit, TB – in fact they may be very low risk for other reasons. It just means that as there is no third-party verification that the farm of origin practices good biosecurity and quarantine measures they cannot be awarded a lower risk status by CHECS standards. So, a 0 score should provide an advantage.

These are declared by the seller and the seller is required to use the latest certification he/she has received from his/her health scheme which will declare the correct status. If this is misrepresented the seller will be in breach of Sales of Goods Act.

Since 2013 the Risk-Based Trading initiative has encouraged sellers to disclose when an animal’s last pre-movement test was carried out, the date of the seller’s last routine herd test and, in the case of herds which have had a TB breakdown in the past, the date on which it was last declared OTF. It will also be possible to declare if the owner is a CHECS TB Entry Level Member.

As CHECS TB Herd Accreditation discounts breakdowns in added animals under CHECS-accredited quarantine you may see a divergence between CHECS and Risk-Based Trading information, which declares the last ‘APHA breakdown’. For example, a farm with a very low risk status (CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score 10, signifying no breakdown within the herd within 10 years) could be recorded by APHA as having had a recent breakdown if that breakdown was in an added animal under quarantine. CHECS TB Herd Accreditation judges risk by breakdowns where the whole herd is compromised, rather than breakdowns where an animal will not have had the opportunity to infect other animals in the herd.

Risk Based Trading information asks for the cattle seller to disclose pre-movement test information and details of the last statutory test and last herd breakdown. CHECS provides similar information but combines it into a single CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score. It recognises the difference between breakdowns on the holding for an added animal held in quarantine, and breakdowns within the actual herd. With CHECS TB Entry Level Membership, all that would be disclosed is whether the farmer is a Member or not.

Some cattle purchasers will rely on the testing frequency in the area the animal originates from as a proxy for risk. This needs refining as it may exclude herds in the High Risk Area that are maintaining a clear status or, conversely, include herds in the LRA that have suffered a breakdown.

Other questions about TB

In England only, with prior permission from APHA, consideration should be given to testing added animals while in quarantine using the interferon-gamma test, or more sensitive serological tests such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)-validated Enferplex or IDEXX tests. You should, however, first discuss the potential consequences of a test positive animal on the herd OTF status with your vet. The post-movement skin test would still be required for animals that were subjected to pre-movement testing but a negative interferon-gamma test result would give you additional reassurance to facilitate earlier introduction of those animals into your herd with a reduced risk to the CHECS TB Herd Accreditation score. Although not compulsory, this additional testing is highly recommended to identify M. bovis infected animals not identified by the skin test and to prevent introduction of such animals into your herd, thereby protecting the disease-free status of scheme herds. You should be aware, however, that a private positive interferon-gamma test result will be notified to APHA and in most cases will signify an official breakdown. Also, the test cannot be used on its own to maintain, or regain, OTF status. Private interferon-gamma testing is not available in Scotland or Wales.

Your private veterinary surgeon (delivery partner) can carry out the private interferon-gamma testing but they must request permission for this from APHA. Individual health schemes may apply to be providers as well. Please check with your health scheme.

If you live in Wales you should report it, giving the location of the dead badger. You can call 0808 1695110, or email badger@bfd.wales or visit the website www.bfd.wales, which provides further information. In England you can report a dead badger to your local council if it’s found at the roadside.

There are specific TB control plans developed for cattle grazing common land and must be approved by the APHA. Commoners associations should contact APHA to discuss setting up these local plans.

CCTV cameras should be placed in areas where badgers and cattle might come into close contact like cattle housing, or in places such as feed stores where badgers may expose cattle to contamination. The www.tbhub.co.uk provides further information on types of camera to use and placement of them.

Yes, M. bovis can live for up to three weeks in well-composted farmyard manure (muck) and around six months in slurry. Visit www.tbhub.co.uk for more information.