Agriculture Minister Abandoned Cows In Case They Infected Neighbor's Livestock With Tuberculosis

Victoria Prentis has revealed the sacrifice as she responds to new calls for the badger cull to be stopped

Conservative Minister Victoria Prentis speaking during a debate on the badger cull

The agriculture minister abandoned a herd of cows because she feared they were infecting a neighbour's cattle with bovine tuberculosis, she revealed tonight.

Victoria Prentis told MPs how she made the decision about her long-horned animals because of the risk of spreading tuberculosis to cows.

Her comments came as she defended the government's controversial cull of badgers amid renewed calls for the culling scheme to be halted.

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Referring to her personal experience, Ms Prentis said during a debate in Westminster Hall: "For me, this is a very personal issue: my grandfather died of tuberculosis and I gave up my own cattle, the long horn cattle, about 10 years ago because of the prevalence of tuberculosis in our valley.

"I really didn't want, as someone who raised cattle for pleasure rather than serious commercial reasons, to infect the very valuable Jersey herd next door.

Mrs Prentis feared for the Jersey herd on a nearby farm (

Picture:

Getty Images)

"This is a very dangerous disease in all species, whether human, bovine or badger."

Some 174,517 badgers have been killed since 2013 as part of efforts to curb the spread of bTB.

A total of 33,687 badgers were killed last year by shooting and cage trapping.

Slaughter supporters blame the creatures for fueling the spread of tuberculosis across the countryside - and 26,000 cows have been culled in England in the last 12 months because of the infection.