Bovine TB: 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, December 1999

• Register of ISG Members interests

Latest news

12 December 2006 - The agenda for the 99th ISG meeting on Wednesday 17 January 2007 and the summary of the 98th meeting held on 13th December 2006 are now available.

11 January 2007 - An ISG open meetings notice has been issued.

10 March 2006 - The ISG response (36 KB) to the consultation "Controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in high incidence areas in England: badger culling" is now available.

News archive..

• Membership of the ISG
• Working procedures
• Code of practice
• Publication scheme
• ISG publications
• Published data
  
  
• January 2006 - Fifth Report (48 KB)
• February 2005 - Fourth report (715 KB)
• August 2001 - Third report (535 KB)
• December 1999 - Second report.
• July 1998 - First report. A summary is also available.

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