Defra has revealed new statistics showing a provisional 5.3% increase in the number of new TB incidents for January to July 2011, compared with the same period in 2010.
Combined with a decrease in the number of herds tested over the same period, this equates to a provisional overall increase in the TB incidence rate of 7.3 %.
Between January and July this year, 20,603 cattle were compulsorily slaughtered, compared with 19,421 during the same period in 2010.
There were 5,359 herds under movement restrictions on July 31.
The current incidence rate and numbers of reactors slaughtered to date indicate that around 36,000 cattle could be slaughtered by the end of the year - a significant increase on both 2009 and 2010.
- Visit the TB Free England website here.