Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of bovine tuberculosis on the health and wellbeing of farmers in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

The Government recognises that bovine TB causes great distress to the farming community and how important it is for farmers experiencing a TB breakdown in their herd to be supported through what are exceptionally stressful times. Defra provides grant funding to the Farming Community Network (FCN) which offers confidential, non-judgemental support and advice on a whole range of topics, around health, wellbeing and finance. Further details on the FCN can be found online at: www.fcn.org.uk including information about their confidential, national helpline.

The TB Advisory Service (www.tbas.org.uk) is a Defra funded initiative that provides free, bespoke advice to keepers of cattle and farmed non-bovine animals in England on measures that can be taken to reduce the risk and impact of bovine TB. TBAS provides this advice and delivers this support through on-farm advice visits, one-to-one advisory sessions and a telephone helpline.