Last week has seen me trampled on, defecated on, and muddied all over. I ache from standing in the rain and battling against the wintry elements. Let’s just say it hasn’t been the highpoint in my agricultural career thus far.

The dreaded Tb test. Before the week commenced we had to strategise where all our 700 animals were to be placed around the farm in order to make the testing process as smooth as possible. The week itself we spent moving animals around, which is an intensely physical process, something like wrestling a cow for nine hours a day.

Our herd have been clear of Tb all spring and summer, meaning that we have been able to sell animals to local farmers and livestock markets. If any sign were to be detected that one of our animals has been in contact with the disease, then we would be unable to move any animal off the farm, unless it were going straight to slaughter. In case we were to get shut down with Tb, we have sold as many animals as possible locally so that we would have space on the farm to deal with being closed off.

My dad and I always feel especially tense and nervous about the future of the animals whom we strive to keep healthy and happy. All our animals are born and reared on the farm by us; we never buy in any animals ourselves.

The first step in the Tb testing process is to inject each animal twice in the neck and measure the thickness of the skin there. The first injection is a strain of avian tuberculin, the second injection a strain of bovine tuberculin placed two inches below. All animals over 42 days must be tested and farmers are not allowed to administer this test themselves. Three days later the vet comes to measure any reaction to the injections by comparing the thickness of the skin to the initial reading. If the animal reacts to the bovine tuberculin, then that animal has definitely been in contact with the disease and is potentially infected with the disease. It would be slaughtered and its carcass then assessed by authorised vets for any visible lesions that would indicate whether or not that animal was in fact infected with the disease.

The vet found three inconclusive reactors. This means that the skin increased in thickness by 1mm, not enough of a reaction for the animals to become “reactors” (it has to be 5mm). Whilst I am relieved that none of our animals will have to be slaughtered, we are now shut down and can no longer move any of our animals off the holding until we go clear again. The next test will be in 60 days.