That's the gist of it, isn't it? Would you like to sort of expand on that a little? Yeah, sure.

So the strategy sets out that we would like to encourage the use of statutory tests out of sequence.

So where they wouldn't normally be used, we may allow them to be used.

That would include skin testing and gamma testing.

And then the other ancillary tests that are approved by WOA, the World Organization of Animal Health.

So there are tests, InfoPlex, IDEX antibody tests.

So there are these other tests that are deemed more sensitive So the skin test is very specific, doesn't pick up very many false negatives, and that's good because we don't want to be killing any more cows than we need to.

yeah i mean it would just give an element of flexibility that just doesn't seem to exist so much now where and then it would reduce some of the actually potentially reduce some risky behaviors that are an unintended consequence of the way things are done at present where you have i understand you have sort of dispersal sales and you have uh peat farmers maybe rushing to sort of restock herds if you like or buying in cattle in a way that might be a bit risky when they've had to slaughter a load of cattle and stuff like that that goes on um yeah so that's that's a separate part of the strategy would

Can you just take us back a little bit of a step and talk about sort of state of the nation now in terms of TB policy and then where this strategy shifts the dial?

Since probably within the last decade, we've had part of the TB eradication policy above badger culling, which alongside more stringent cattle measures has resulted in the herd prevalence, so the potential of herds affected, dropping over the last decade, I think, 6.4% to 3.5%.

So you could say, well, the strategy's working.

We've reduced TB massively, and we have.

But We have this goal of 2038 and we're not going to get that fast enough if we continue.

Added to that, the current administration government have said they want to end all badger culling by the end of the current parliament.

So that needed something to step in and say, how are we going to manage TB going forward without badger culling? So part of the strategy has been to explore that and The badger vaccination is stepping up.

uh england and wales border which is obviously a bit more of an issue than it is an england scotland border so uh what does that mean in practice ed good luck

And Ed, I suppose you see things from both sides going on farm and with your own herd.

Yeah, for sure.

When we went down at home, we started replacing and then replacements were subject to 50% rate compensation.

So you just have to stop buying because you can't afford to take that risk and hit on 50% of their value.

So that's a huge hindrance.

But the milk loss, the genetics loss, That's a far bigger hit than anything.

And I see it regularly on farms where they're down with TB and their numbers are suppressed.

And Ed?