The impact of bTB

Man and child walking towards a field of cows

The emotional and financial strain bTB (bovine tuberculosis) puts on farmers and the local rural community is enormous. We look at how the disease affects both cattle and people.

A recent Defra and Welsh Government report shows that the financial cost of bTB on a farm business is £6,600, but the mid-range cost is approximately £22,518 per breakdown. The cost can vary greatly, though, and depends on factors such as the size of the herd and the duration of the breakdown.

A study from the University of Exeter showed that one dairy farm lost 61 cows to bTB, and the farmer estimated that the cost of this in milk sales to their farm was £56,364.

Most farms quoted in the report said that the costs related to the loss of animals, labour, productivity, on-farm testing costs, reduction in yields or growth rates and business disruption due to the movement restrictions that are put in place.

The APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) estimated that trying to eradicate bTB costs UK taxpayers around £100 million per annum. The costs fall into four areas:

  • compensation for cattle compulsorily culled
  • surveillance
  • regulatory TB testing, and
  • research projects to improve disease detection.

Read more about the cost of bTB


How bTB affects cattle

Spotting bTB in cattle is quite difficult due to the nature of the symptoms, which can be like other diseases and will typically only develop at advanced stages of infection.

Development of the disease is very slow, and clinical signs can take years to display.

Some cattle in advance stages of disease will show symptoms such as weight loss, chronic mastitis, swollen lymph nodes and a moist cough. 

The stringent testing regime and removal of cattle for compulsory slaughter, if they test positive for bTB, means the spread of the disease is kept to a minimum.

The effects of bTB on people

Bovine TB has the potential to affect people physically and financially, from those living in rural areas seeing the impact on farming neighbours first-hand, to people who enjoy great British beef and dairy products and want to see a thriving sector.

In addition, bTB affects farmers, not only economically but also emotionally.

In a recent survey by NFU Cymru of more than 500 farmers, 85% said bTB had had a negative impact on both their own and their whole family’s mental health.

Bovine TB is a notifiable animal disease. It is endemic and has a risk of infection to humans, albeit low.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency showed that TB (Tuberculosis) cases in people continue to rise in England in 2023 and have increased by 7% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same timeframe in 2022.

Read more at: GOV.UK | TB cases continue to rise in England in 2023.

Bristol University, in collaboration with North Bristol NHS Trust, is conducting a ZooTB Study to estimate the prevalence of latent TB infection in people who are exposed to TB-infected cattle and to assess the potential risk to public health in Southwest England, with the expected results to be published in early 2024.

Find out more