Press Release - NBA urges all purchasers to look more closely at the bull he is going to purchase

As we enter the bull trading season the NBA urges all purchasers to look more closely at the origins of the bull that he is looking to purchase.
Bill Harper of the NBA TB Committee says “a balanced approach to bull purchasing is required when more counties have been included in annual testing areas as the new county system replaces parish definitions”.

Purchasers and vendors should be prepared to have an open discussion regarding  the sellers farms TB situation, the key questions that need to be addressed are, has the farm had a TB incident if so, when was the last outbreak and in his area when was the last outbreak.

With so much of the country now under one year testing it may be impossible to source the genetics you are looking for, without considering cattle from annual testing areas which  may be of less risk than the status indicates.

Please consider that most bulls are only grazed for their first summer with their dams, after that they are housed with minimal risk of infection from wildlife which is the real method of transfer.

The message is to speak to the bull breeder and find out the whole story of the individual breeders situation and make an informed decision.

Contacts:
Bill Harper - NBA TB Committee Chairman – 0783 1099182
Chris Mallon – NBA National Director – 0757 9009648