The following is from the Central Communications Unit, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
 
"although only one case of M. bovis infection was confirmed in ferrets
up to 2005 in Great Britain"
 
It would seem that bovine TB is not the great threat that some people are
making it out to be where ferrets are concerned.
 
 ..........................................
 
Amos
[log in to unmask]
 
17 March 2006
 
Dear Amos
 
Central Communications Unit, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra)
 
BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS (TB)
 
Thank you for your email of 5 February to the Defra Helpline regarding
bovine TB.  I have been asked to reply and apologise for the delay.
 
Regarding your query about TB on fur farms, fur faming was banned in
Great Britain from 31 December 2002 (under the Fur Farming (Prohibition)
Act 2000).
 
It is possible for Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis, the prime causative
agent for TB in cattle) to infect ferrets, although only one case of
M. bovis infection was confirmed in ferrets up to 2005 in Great Britain.
M. bovis infection in mammals other than cattle, badgers and deer
appears to be extremely rare in the United Kingdom (UK).  However, due
to the persistence of M. bovis in cattle and badgers in the south west
and west of England and south west Wales, sporadic cases of M. bovis
infection in companion animals and other spill-over hosts living on
farms and in rural or suburban premises can be expected.
 
With regards to your query about what happens to dead cattle that have
been tested for TB, carcasses and their associated offal are inspected by
the Meat Hygiene Service at slaughter and those with signs of generalised
infection are fully condemned and declared unfit for human consumption.
Where localised TB lesions are found in more than one organ or area of a
carcass the whole carcass is condemned.  Those carcasses with lesions in
a single organ or part of the carcass and associated lymph nodes are only
passed fit for human consumption once the affected part of the carcass
has been cut out and condemned.  If no TB lesions are found, the carcass
is passed fit for human consumption.  If any M.  bovis organisms remain
these will be killed by thoroughly cooking the meat.
 
The handling and disposal of animal by-products is governed by the EU
Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) 1774/2002.  Under this Regulation,
only low-risk Category 3 animal by-products can be used in pet food and
feed for farm animals.  As stated in Article 6 of the Regulation,
Category 3 material comprises of parts of slaughtered animals that are
fit for human consumption, but are not intended for human consumption
for commercial reasons.  This would obviously exclude TB-infected meat.
Animal food plants receiving animal by-products must be approved for
the purpose by the State Veterinary Service (SVS).  Any diseased cattle
would have to be disposed of by rendering or incineration.
 
Arrangements are in place with the Department of Health (DH) to
investigate the potential links to human health, and monitor human cases
of M.  bovis.  Furthermore, Defra attends the DH-run UK Zoonoses Group
and works in liaison with the Food Standards Agency to help minimise the
risk of bovine TB entering the food chain.
 
Further information on protecting public health from bovine TB may be
found on our public health web pages at:
 
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/human/index.htm.
 
I hope this letter has been useful.
 
Yours sincerely
 
--
Please contact me I can be of any help, I am not a vet and in the past
30+ years none of my animals have visited my vet for anything other than
routine check up.
 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/intact-ferrets/
Come see my ferrets
http://www.geocities.com/houseferrets13uk/Tonys_Pets.html
Some of our fund-raising events
http://www.geocities.com/houseferrets13uk/Show.html
http://www.headway.org.uk/ The brain Injury association
[Posted in FML issue 5187]