For a five to six week period from early March, veterinary staff from AHVLA will be carrying out field audits of tuberculin testing conducted by Official Veterinarians (OVs) in Wales.

Simon Hall, AHVLA Veterinary Director, said, “AHVLA has been working closely with OVs and representatives of the profession to develop improved instructions for tuberculin testing, as well as to improve training for new OVs.

“These field audits in Wales form part of an overall package of quality assurance measures for our testing programme and support Welsh Government’s commitment to eradicating bovine TB in Wales. They are an extension of the audits already required on AHVLA staff.”

Panel 1(a) OV practices in Wales will shortly receive a letter outlining what is required of them during the audit. Following receipt of the letter, they are encouraged to contact their local AHVLA office if they have any queries.

AHVLA has previously carried out field audit exercises in particular areas of GB alongside routine supervised tests for newly trained OVs. The audits in Wales are part of a pilot that will inform discussions around the development of a broader on-going OV audit programme.