A farm in Tebay, Cumbria, has been forced into a standstill after a TB test on a calf returned a positive result, triggering mandatory restrictions on livestock movement. The farmer, Andrea Meanwell, had planned to sell 17 two-year-old bullocks, two pedigree breeding Galloway cows, and one heifer the day after the test, a transaction now impossible under the imposed regulations.
The scare originated from a confirmed TB outbreak within a 3km radius of Meanwell's land, necessitating the legal requirement for pre-sale testing. While TB has not previously affected this particular farm, the persistent risk in the region has now materialized, leading to a lockdown that impacts the ability to buy or sell any breeding or store cattle. The situation escalated following a post-mortem examination and laboratory analysis of the affected nine-month-old calf.
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"We’ve never had it among our cattle here before, but the risk is always there."
Meanwell, who runs an upland farm in partnership with her son, has documented various aspects of rural life in her 'Country diary' series for The Guardian. This latest entry highlights the disruption caused by the TB scare, effectively 'shutting down' farm operations and putting summer plans into disarray. Previous entries have touched on broader concerns for upland farmers, including financial pressures from fluctuating government grants and anxieties surrounding the potential reintroduction of apex predators. The farm's location, straddling both the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Lake District National Park, also means it is affected by significant infrastructure projects, such as the impending replacement of eight bridges within the valley, which will impact access to farmland.
