Dairy farmers are facing the brunt of the new TB rules, with tighter restrictions on cow sales and more testing of herds after a TB breakdown.

The most severe measure is that herds with 80 cows or more where 10 cows or 5% of the herd are reactors will be restricted from selling cows that were present in the herd at the time of the breakdown for a period of two years after the last reactor is removed.

These cows can still be sold to controlled finishing units or direct to slaughter but not to other dairy farmers.

Serious

This measure will have serious financial implications for farmers that are planning full or partial clearance sales as these cows will only have beef value, rather than dairy value during this restricted period.

Other herds that are coming out of a TB breakdown will have to test more often.

Relapse herds are classed as herds that have had three or more skin reactors and have cows in the herd that were present at the last time there was a TB outbreak in that herd where at least one of the current reactors was around at the time of the last outbreak.

These herds will now have to test every six months for three years after the last reactor is removed, up from the current period of 18 months. Farmers will only have to pay for one TB test annually.

From now on, all dairy cows are required to be tested within 30 days before movement off farm.

The exception to this is cull cows which are being sold for fattening into non-breeding herds.

These cows will not need to be tested pre-movement, but will be restricted to the herd in which they are sold into.

This measure will mean that late calving cows or surplus cows that are being sold to other dairy farmers will need to be tested prior to sale.

Similarly, farmers engaging in contract rearing will have to test all stock before they return to their farm of origin within 30 days prior to movement.

Another big change is that in larger herds of 80 cows or more, blood testing after a skin test where 5% or 10 cows go down will now be mandatory.