Good Practice based on Current Knowledge

• Lower stocking rates.
• Establish a closed herd system and breed own replacements.
• Prevent contact between your cattle and those on neighbouring farms; use sound fencing to stop nose to nose contact; place barriers in gateways to stop contact with passing cattle.
• Keep contract reared cattle away from your herd.
• Isolate any bought-in animals.
• Only healthy cattle should be bought-in.
• Ask when bought-in cattle were last TB tested. If they need testing before your routine herd test, consider a private TB test.
• If possible, avoid common grazing.
• If common grazing is inevitable, then skin tests should be synchronised.
• Tell neighbours if you have a TB breakdown to enable them to take precautions.

• Keep wildlife out of buildings, especially feed stores.
• Fence off areas around badger sets to keep cattle out while allowing badgers free access.
• Fence off clusters of badger dung pits.
• Overgrazing fields used by badgers should be avoided.
• Avoid grass cutting for hay or silage from badger latrines and field margins.
• Raise feed and water troughs so that their lips are at least 80 cm off the ground.
• Badger carcasses should be disposed of safely. Use a facemask and gloves.
• It is an offence to interfere with badgers or their sets and would be particularly unacceptable on an organic farm where diversity of the wildlife should be preserved.