The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB

The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) is a group of independent scientists who advise the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how best to tackle the problem of cattle TB.

For ease of administration, this ISG section of the Defra website is organised by Defra officials, but this in no way alters the validity of the preceding statement on the independence of the ISG, who are solely responsible for its content.

In their own words:

'The Independent Scientific Group on cattle TB was set up following the acceptance by Ministers of the recommendations contained in the Krebs Report (1997). From this it was clear that the problem of TB in cattle was extremely complex, still poorly understood and that previous policies to control the disease had been inadequate. It recognised that substantial further work was necessary if an informative framework was to be established that would be adequate to underpin an effective policy to control the disease in the future.

'The role of the ISG is to provide the scientific base for such a policy. From the outset we have adopted a holistic approach, recognising that sustainable control policies could only be achieved through a better understanding of the epidemiology of TB in cattle and wildlife reservoirs. Implicit in our approach is the recognition that the widespread elimination of badgers from large tracts of the countryside would not be politically or socially acceptable, hence we have sought to explore a much wider consideration of the problem and its possible solution(s)'

From the Second Report of the ISG, January 2000

More

• 16 December 2003 - Agenda for ISG meeting on 17 December
• 12 December 2003 - Development of vaccines for Bovine Tuberculosis: Report of the ISG Vaccine Scoping Sub-Committee (405 KB). A news release has been issued.
• 4 December 2003 - Minutes of the first Open Meeting of the ISG
• 4 November 2003 - Advice from the ISG to Defra Ministers.
• Public announcement - ISG open meeting
  
  
• Membership of the ISG
• Working procedures
• Code of practice
  
  
• August 2001 - Third report (535 KB)
• December 1999 - Second report.
• July 1998 - First report. A summary is also available.
  
• ISG's memorandum to the Agriculture Select Committee.

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