A6 Excavation Works Lead To TB Fears

The ongoing A6 roadworks are driving badgers from their dens onto nearby farmlands

- Caoimhe Hegarty

FEARS have been ex-pressed over a reported rise in cases of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) in cattle close to the ongoing A6 project between Castledawson and Randalstown.

Bovine TB is an infectious disease of cattle caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis.

TB is transmitted between cattle, between badgers, and between the two species directly via close contact or indirectly via environmental contamination.

Cattle grazing on areas where infected badgers have been present are exposed to a risk of infection.

Unconfirmed local reports from members of the farming community, living close to the new A6 dualling scheme, have suggested that excavation works along the A6 route have resulted in the movement of badgers, which in turn has led to a rise of TB cases among cattle on neighbouring farmlands.