A NEWCASTLE dog trainer has made a major breakthrough in the detection of bovine tuberculosis on farms.
Bill Thomson is a specialist dog handler who has succeeded in training dogs to detect the presence of TB infected badgers around farm buildings and on farms.
This development has been achieved after years of painstaking work with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Queen’s University and other agencies.
Bill is now waiting on one final research trial by a Californian University to finalise the last stage in providing a low cost, environment-friendly solution to a major problem in the farming sector in Northern Ireland.
Each year in Northern Ireland £20m in compensation is paid out by DARD to farmers when their herds are infected by TB.
“Even movement restrictions are a heavy penalty on the farmer. I have pioneered a very useful tool which can be used alongside other strategies to try and eliminate and lessen TB. I am a client of Invest NI and have found them very helpful in helping me develop this TB detection project to its present level,” explained Bill.
“Badgers have been blamed as the main culprits for spreading the TB virus around farms and my method of detection has even been given the green light by animal welfare groups.”
Bill explained there may be other animals and factors involved in the spread of TB. He said he knows of “strong opinions” on both sides for and against badger culling.
He continued: “My detection system can go a long way to preventing TB contamination, if used effectively. This work in screening farms for TB is perfectly safe for both dogs and handlers and I work to DARD guidelines and parameters.”
Bill has also been involved in conducting trails under license with Queen’s in the past. He said the badger is a protected species and as such a license is required to work with live animals and obtain samples.
The Newcastle dog handler has also enjoyed other notable successes in dog training, successfully training a number of medical assistance dogs. Bill has dogs trained in detecting eColi and salmonella.
He said the Ulster Farmers’ Union has shown a strong interest in his TB breakthrough and believes this development could potentially have a huge impact on preventing herds from becoming infected by the disease.
“It is a proactive, preventative system which aims to detect infected badger presence so that farmers and vets can take the necessary measures accordingly to protect the herds,” continued Bill.
The dog trainer also confirmed that the actual process of detection still requires to be kept under wraps, but says he is the first person in the UK to have developed this approach to this stage.
Bill added: “Now it needs to get to the implementation stage. Already farmers, vets and others have seen this as a very effective way to deal with this terrible and costly disease.
“My system is proven and could be ready to roll out fairly quickly and would provide a humane way of dealing with this problem acceptable to all. We now have an opportunity in Northern Ireland to become leaders in this exciting new development.”