Saving Geronimo

In Summary:

Geronimo was bought by his owner from a bTB negative farm and was imported to the UK by his Owner Helen. Geronimo was tested on a trial testing program by DEFRA (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) and the BAS (British Alpaca Society). There are multiple elements taking place in this case as it is has received national interest, the personal bond between Geronimo and his owner as well as the validity of the trial.

The Trial of the Enferplex Test:

The problem with the trial. Now the test in itself may have a place in the sector to benefit cattle and alpacas. The issue is that there has been an issue with the test as part of the trial whilst they included various outcomes to rule out particular errors the problem, occurs with the circumstances of Geronimo. Even though he has been isolated and after coming from a TB free county the test conducted is showing a positive result but we should all be aware that this test is only a trial to see if it detects bTB in camelids as it does in cattle as well as the accuracy. The concern would be as with some of the errors currently found with TB testing post mortem is the only conclusive test identifying TB lesions but if Geronimo is healthy this is a senseless waste of life. This also poses a problem for the government and DEFRA as it would be a PR disaster. Now Geronimo has been vaccinated according to his owner which the tests used in the trial Enferplex would not be able to distinguish from him having the disease. This is where the problem lies for a trial the animal should not have been selected to begin with as there is nothing in the protocols to account for this. Now the backup of this type of test is to utilise the much-contested validity of the skin test which is also primarily used in the cattle which in itself has had its sensitivity questioned and found in camelids the accuracy is less than 20%.

Call for the Actiphage Test:

Now a testing method that does not utilise a method for detecting present antibodies and instead identified the presence of the disease itself is a far more sensible solution. The Actiphage test effectively highlights to the tester if the disease is present by giving a clear DNA signature under testing conditions from a blood sample taken from the subject. This would remove the risk that the animal simply has antibodies due to an immune response that has been supported by a vaccine. If the test proves that there is no TB present then what we effectively have is a case for a test that can be used to identify the status of an animal after the introduction of a vaccine. Then if animals test positive under this test they may be vaccinated but could also be reactors as they have the disease present and would effectively be suffering from the disease. This would offer an option to incorporate testing into a vaccine regime for both cattle and camelids as well as a lifeline for Geronimo.

In Conclusion:

The Actiphage test provides a new tool to potentially safeguard vaccinated animals like Geronimo as we move closer to vaccine trials this is invaluable. Whilst also protecting other stock animals as we measure the effectiveness of the test and validity. Geronimo is potentially paving the way to increase the calibre of the testing method applied in the UK and also offer crucial protection from euthanasia which many including myself feel is morally wrong and scientifically dubious without robust testing.

Sources and Further Reading:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9879245/Standoff-Geronimo-continues-alpacas-owner-demands-appropriate-bovine-TB-testing.html

https://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/health-welfare/livestock-diseases/bovine-tb/farmers-and-vets-hope-alpaca-case-raises-bovine-tb-awareness

https://tbhub.co.uk/tb-in-non-bovine-animals/camelids/

http://apha.defra.gov.uk/external-operations-admin/library/documents/tuberculosis/TN191.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-58158054

https://1gov.uk/petition-to-save-condemned-alpaca-geronimo-secures-almost-80000-signatures/

https://www.bas-uk.com/british-alpaca-society-calls-for-urgent-talks-with-defra-amidst-fears-for-the-future-of-voluntary-btb-testing-in-the-uk/

https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Factsheet_gamma_test_TB_hub.pdf

https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Phage_factsheet_13.02.2020_TB_hub.pdf

Aus-UK Trade Deal

At a Glance:

On the 17th of June 2021, Australia and the UK signed a historic trade deal. Now both nations are seeking an ambitious free trade agreement (FTA). Now whilst the UK is mainly looking at the FTA as the first step in entering the pacific market, Australia is looking at boosting its ties with the UK consumer market. Whilst the UK will benefit from exports of Whiskey, Cheeses and Cars. Australia benefits from an increase in Agricultural access and industrial products. For countries with broadly similar systems and ways of working, easing restrictions on UK Australian working visas is also a big pull.

The Good:

With over 1.25 million ex-pats living in Australia, a core winner here is the young job seekers, the gap year adventures, and the entrepreneurs. Greater access to both countries education systems, markets and cultures allows for knowledge sharing, growth of existing companies or the formation of new businesses as both countries seek to explore the wealth of development in the tertiary and quaternary sectors. A core focus is how these two island nations can establish conduits of data flow with established protections maintained for both consumers. This presents opportunities for the UK and Australian firms to challenge the might of Silicon Valley. With the greater access, this would provide for a greater prospect for both nations to share both the skills of their respective workforces and provide an opportunity for businesses to flourish. With the UK and Australia already sharing cultural heritage, a free trade agreement would remove red tape to provide essential growth in these emerging sectors. 

The Bad: 

Whereas the deal is primarily heralded as an outstanding achievement and part of Britain reentering the global fray, we also need to recognise its limitations. Now the UK is both known for an exceptional standard of food quality and animal welfare; however, the provision for our farmers is far less robust than other countries. The Australian trade deal for all its benefits for opening up both emerging sectors and new avenues for trade also sees Australia benefit from a new market to sell its livestock and arable produce to now this in itself is not a problem until we address the broader issues. The UK is legislating for greater protection for animals already providing protection in slaughterhouses with CCTV, actively working towards reducing life transport and generally improving welfare standards of stock. The issues from the fact that many in the sector myself included seeing cheap imports as a potential loss leader that UK farmers cannot compete against due to quality or regulatory pressures.  Now, this could be remedied by further intervention from the government to protect the British agriculture trade through additional reinforcement of subsidies which would continue to enable farmers security of revenue so that they can steward the environment. We also have to reflect on the recent pandemic where without these key workers within this sector, UK food prices would have soared, but subsidy should not be the only tool. Subsidy should be a support mechanism for farmers to innovate and explore further opportunities, not as the critical area to ensure their survival which is where in the future we are likely going to need more robust packaging from trends in carbon footprints and welfare standards to the origin of products.

The Ugly:

As with many areas of new policy areas, we are likely to see far further detail in weeks and months to come, and the benefit of this detail may undoubtedly outweigh any cons. However, areas that are already becoming abundantly clear are that any trade deal needs to add value to our stores and the public without costing our domestic sectors. We must recognise that this deal will essentially become the benchmark for future agreements with other countries such as New Zealand and the United States, and the standards we employ need to ensure we can maintain our quality. This is where we need to think about what governments and sectors can do to ensure the British made standard is and Union Jack products are promoted as other countries will be focusing on promoting their products and not seeing our own produce increasingly priced out of the market. Whereas some would certainly and often rightly articulate that the market would be the best moderator to ensure that successful products or produce survive, we need to recognise holistic benefits of what we are trying to achieve and whilst tariff provisions are a solution, they are not a silver bullet. We need to think of what can be done to ensure that we are giving the right information with a greater abundance of produce. Making sure products are more accurately labelled and those items have information consumers care about as we already see levels of information vary based on the intensity of farming or sustainability of materials we need to reflect this on the packaging in the stores. Place of origin is also crucial and must be clear as we are already aware larger producers such as New Zealand Dairy could potentially use the deal to enter the UK milk market and price pinched farmers further out. 

To conclude:

The free trade deal in itself overs various opportunities for a plethora of sectors to benefit from further collaboration with a country we share so much with; however, we need to recognise that the deal must benefit the UK holistically and not sole sectors. Agreements need to ensure various sectors can benefit from these new agreements offering avenues to enrich our great nation and not solely focus on metropolitan sectors to see growth for our country and the success of domestic programs. Part of the levelling up agenda needs to recognise the key industries around our nation and areas where we can grow, not token offers or caveats.

Mind Your Head

Further to my earlier article about mental health today marks the start of the Mind Your Head campaign.

The Yellow Wellies group rightly has highlighted some key points about farmers mental health. Now some issues which they have isolated would be challenging to control or resolve. Now whilst there are specific agricultural loans to help with the business or equipment needs this, unfortunately, is often at a great interest rate as well as which when coupled with other stressors. Some of these stressors can be highly varied from the direct impacts such as the financial impacts on the business to the secondary elements such as one which livestock farmers face. Livestock farmers often face increased opposition to both the changing diets of the masses that has caused abuse and heated debates on both sides. However, whilst both sides of the debate have valid points and passionate views only one directly impacts their livelihoods. Now whilst this debate will likely be on going for a number of years as it one about ideology. Some positives have been drawn from it alternatives to different movements such as Reganuary which puts a focus on a more sustainable form of agriculture. Now rather then discuss this movement in this article the reason for highlighting it, is that this is a way for the industry to champion better practice by highlighting innovations as well as supporting the local businesses. This can also be seen with concerns between farmers and others who use the countryside or visit farmers lands. With an increased amount of walkers in the countryside farmers can be drawn into conflict when dogs are off lead distressing stock. If the stock animals are distressed or attacked by the dog the farmer has the right to shoot the dog but this can be deeply distressing either by seeing the damage a dog can do to the stock or through shooting the dog. Neither is an option that the farmer wants to pursue however it is something which does often happen with a lack of understanding of the environment.

Now when looking at stress in farmers it is important that all actions are taken to reduce stress. Finding people to talk with whether that be online or those in local support group by engaging in conversation and offloading some of the stress recognising they are not alone. Making sure that those that work on farms especially for those whose lives and work focus on the land need somewhere else to focus such as going off site, exploring a hobby or a trip. Making sure you also take the chance to regularly exercise and follow a suitable routine. 

Now campaigns such as Fit to Farm also highlight characteristics about the various roles which are often not explored. The working hours which farmers often do can be up to 65 hours per week this is comparable to the 56 hours per week doctors do. Now not all farmers have this type of working environment but for those who do it should be rightly recognised the pressures they face. Especially at busy periods like harvest where they are flat out for days and hours at end. Now because of working and living on site taking leave from your family farm can be a far flung fantasy for some it is not as simple as leaving your home for holiday for those who business needs require careful monitoring but are tied to a fixed location. Many entrepreneurs or professionals can take their work with them and therefore find some release this is arguably the same for large companies but a challenge for the small family farms. Now respondents to the survey by the Fit to Farm campaign have outlined areas they need help in would it not be the best time for the communities to rely around them and support their efforts. 

We also need to remember what great resources we have available to support us and those within our community. YANA specifically targets mental health in farming whilst the Yellow Wellies looks at farm safety follow the links below to find out more about their work and how to support them. Together we Can.

https://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/health-and-wellbeing/fit2farm-farmers-weekly-campaign-to-improve-farmers-health#tabs-1

https://www.yanahelp.org

http://yellowwellies.org/StressManagementBooklet_0319/StressManagementBooklet_0319/?page=23