The emotional impact of an explosive TB breakdown
Andrew, dairy farmer, Somerset
Andrew Urch, and his mother Susan, run a dairy herd of 180 cows dairy on their three generation family farm in Somerset that.
On their six-monthly TB skin test, they had 12 cows that were reactors. This led to a compulsory Gamma test which identified another 116 cows as reactors. In total they have lost 132 cows to TB with more skin and gamma tests carried out try and remove the disease from the herd.
It has had a devasting impact, financially and mentally on the family which could affect the viability and future of their family farm.
“Mentally I’m struggling,” says Andrew. “My family are in pieces and my mum is in a terrible state. My children keep asking me Dad, why do they keep taking our animals, can’t you stop them?”