Costs to farmers of a tuberculosis breakdown

An on‐farm survey of 151 cattle farmers who had experienced a bovine tuberculosis ( Mycobacterium bovis ) breakdown on their farms was undertaken in 2003 to assess the costs associated with the breakdown. In 90 per cent of cases the cost was estimated to be less than £18,513 for dairy herds and less than £11,462 for beef herds, but with a range from £229 to £103,817. The main cost was the slaughter of reactor cattle. For the majority of the farmers, the compensation payments seemed to meet most of the costs of their breakdowns, although a majority was still left with net losses.