Neil Conaghan of West Scales, Rigg, Gretna, is awaiting more tests being carried out to determine if others in his 270-strong herd will have to be destroyed.

According to the Scottish Executive, which confirmed the outbreak on Thursday evening, there were no health risks to the general population and any farm workers who were in direct contact with the infected animals are being offered screening for TB.

However, a spokesman for the the executive stressed that cases of bovine TB in humans are rare and that the the case highlights the importance of good slaughterhouse TB surveillance as a way of supplementing the on-farm testing regime.

Buitelaar abattoir in Kilmarnock raised the alarm on August 4 when four carcasses from Mr Conaghan’s herd were found to be infected with the disease.

Source: icdumfries.icnetwork.co.uk