New arrangements for bovine TB compensation

The arrangements for valuing animals to be slaughtered as part of the TB control programme will be revised with effect from 4 August.

Under the revised procedures, farmers will no longer be able to independently select their own valuer.

Where the owner of TB reactors or in-contact animals has not agreed a valuation with the SVS, or where it has not been possible to agree on a single jointly appointed valuer, valuations will be performed by a valuer nominated by the President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The valuation made by the RICS nominated valuer will be final and binding on both Defra and the farmer.

In providing guidance on the new arrangements, we have also taken the opportunity to clarify our policy in relation to the valuation of animals without the appropriate identification documentation, e.g. passports, or both eartags.

For TB and Brucellosis valuations, valuers have been advised that cattle without identification documents (i.e. passports and eartags) should be presumed to have no market value.