Information bTB (ibTB) is a free-to-access, online interactive mapping tool set up to help cattle farmers and their vets understand the level of bovine TB in their area and manage the risks when purchasing cattle. The tool was jointly developed by the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Environmental Research Group Oxford (ERGO) and launched in 2015.
The map shows the locations of resolved and ongoing TB breakdowns in cattle herds in England and Wales over the previous 10 years. Use ibTB to find out about the bovine TB situation in your local area, and when purchasing cattle. You can search using a County Parish Holding Herd (CPHH) number or postcode, and the map also displays the location of Approved Finishing Units (AFUs). You can zoom in or out of the map to increase or decrease the level of detail. The map is currently updated every two weeks and there are a variety of ways to select and view data. There is a tab with useful links to other relevant websites about bovine TB and a ‘help’ function if you need guidance on how to use the site.
Enhancements in 2022
On 31 January 2022, an enhancement was made to additionally display the number of years herds in England have been officially TB free (OTF). All herds are potentially viewable, including herds that have never had a TB breakdown. The number of consecutive years a herd has remained OTF is an indicator of the likelihood of a new breakdown occurring in the herd. The higher the number of years OTF, the lower the likelihood of a new breakdown. ibTB continues to display the locations of all resolved and ongoing TB breakdowns in cattle herds in the previous 10 years, as well as the number of years OTF for each herd.
This enhancement to ibTB helps farmers to make informed decisions about TB risk when purchasing cattle and to take appropriate steps to manage the risk. A commitment to share this information was included in the government’s response to the independent review of Defra’s bovine TB eradication strategy.
Enhancements in 2023
On 16 January 2023, an Approved Finishing Unit (AFU) finder was added to ibTB. This allows users to select the five nearest AFUs via the search facility. For more detail on how to use this function see ‘How do I display Approved Finishing Units (AFUs)?’ in the help section of ibTB.
Enhancements in 2024
On 6 February 2024, an enhancement was made to additionally display the number of years herds in Wales have been officially TB free (OTF). All herds are potentially viewable, including herds that have never had a TB breakdown. The number of consecutive years a herd has remained OTF is an indicator of the likelihood of a new breakdown occurring in the herd. The higher the number of years OTF, the lower the likelihood of a new breakdown. ibTB continues to display the locations of all resolved and ongoing TB breakdowns in cattle herds in the previous 10 years, as well as the number of years OTF for each herd.
This enhancement to ibTB helps farmers to make informed decisions about TB risk when purchasing cattle and to take appropriate steps to manage the risk. The Tuberculosis (Wales) Amendment Order 2023 coming into force on 1 February 2024 allows the display of TB free herd information to provide keepers with additional data for safer purchasing. This measure is one of the Welsh Government proposed actions announced in the latest Wales TB eradication programme delivery plan published on 28 March 2023.
