The announcement, which is echoed by Defra, means that from 2 October 2023 cattle keepers will be able to apply to APHA for a general licence, known as licence TB16e, to cover the movement of TB restricted cattle either directly or via an Approved Dedicated Sale for TB-restricted cattle (an “orange market”) in Wales or England to:
- An Approved Finishing Unit
- Approved Finishing Unit Enhanced with Grazing (England only)
- A licenced slaughterhouse
NFU Cymru welcomes announcement
NFU Cymru TB Focus Group Chairman Roger Lewis said: “The introduction of a general licence for movement of TB restricted cattle into an AFU or slaughterhouse is extremely welcome news and will make a real difference to farmers across Wales who are operating their businesses under TB restrictions.
"The new general licence is absolutely win-win, it will reduce the red tape associated with moving animals, especially calves and youngstock, off the farm during a TB breakdown without compromising disease control.
“The NFU Cymru TB Focus Group recommended the introduction of a general licence as a way of combatting the delays many farmers faced when applying for individual licences for each animal, which often led to slots for getting animals into biosecure outlets such as AFUs were missed. We’ve been working across the cattle industry, as part of the GB Calf Strategy 2020-23, to secure this change and the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group will continue to champion areas where improvements to the operation of TB policy can be made."
The new general licence will replace the need for individual movement licences and will be valid for the time between short-interval tests. A new licence will need to be applied for from APHA after each short-interval test.
The licence including detailed conditions will be published on GOV.UK, and information on the Welsh Government website will be updated.
Announcement during GB Calf Week
The announcement comes during GB Calf Week 2023, which launched at UK Dairy Day on 13 September in Telford.
With one of the main focus areas of the week being on genetics and TB, a panel discussion will take place on the launch day on the topics of dairy-beef calf genetics and the movement of calves from TB restricted units.
A podcast from AHDB discussing the outcomes of the Bovine TB sub-group, featuring both Tom Bradshaw and Michael Oakes, is also set to be released.
