Our animals' fate proves why Geronimo must live: Alpaca and llama owners describe agony of seeing their livestock slaughtered despite 'false positive' TB results
Owners of alpacas and llamas that were slaughtered after suspected false positive bovine tuberculosis tests called last night for under-threat Geronimo to be spared the same fate.
Two farmers told of their harrowing experiences, in which officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs arrived to kill their animals.
They came forward after the Daily Mail published details of a dossier showing nine alpacas and llamas had been killed by Defra only for post-mortem tests to show they were disease-free. Their testimony is the latest development in the stand-off over eight-year-old Geronimo.
Geronimo the Alpaca, pictured with owner Helen Macdonald, is facing a death sentence after Defra officials said he must die
The alpaca was consigned for slaughter last week after a four-year legal battle. His owner Helen Macdonald has steadfastly refused to allow officials to kill him at her farm in Wickwar, south Gloucestershire.
They have been given 30 days to carry out a High Court warrant to kill the animal after Miss Macdonald’s final legal challenge failed. There were the first signs of a Tory backbench revolt last night after an MP pledged to write to Defra.
Dehenna Davison, MP for Bishop Auckland, said she made the decision after visiting Doug and Samantha Steen, who own the Teesdale Alpacas farm near Barnard Castle, County Durham.
She said: ‘We had a detailed discussion about bovine TB testing , as brought into the news by Geronimo. I am writing to Defra on their behalf to raise concerns about the testing regime.’
Yesterday farmer Ann Price told how her three-year-old alpaca Diva was culled after a positive Enferplex test in February 2018.
Diva, who lived with the rest of Mrs Price’s herd in Bewdley, Worcestershire, had been repeatedly dosed with tuberculin, a substance blamed for false positive tuberculosis results. A post-mortem examination found no evidence of bTB. Officials took samples twice but could not find any presence of the disease.
Ann Price told how her three-year-old alpaca Diva was culled after a positive Enferplex test in February 2018
John Carr-Ellison’s llamas Manabi, eight, Oruru, six, Elvis, four, Flash, 11, and Michael, four, were consigned for slaughter in 2015. Mr Carr-Ellison insisted on a post mortem which showed no evidence of TB
Mrs Price said her experience with Defra after the suspected false positive had been harrowing. She said: ‘Officials said Diva would have to be culled and when I asked for a retest to make sure it was not a false positive they said no. I even offered to pay myself. They had already arranged for her to be slaughtered, we had no knowledge of Geronimo and did not know we could fight.
‘Diva’s carcass came back and a post-mortem with no sign of bTB. They did not acknowledge the fact that they culled our animal.
‘It was cruel – my husband had to hold her as they shot her.
‘She knew what was going to happen. She hurt his arm she moved so much.
‘It has got to stop.’ Defra has insisted tuberculin is used in its Enferplex blood test to increase its sensitivity, but this claim has not been subjected to scientific scrutiny. Campaigners argue injecting it prompts an immune response in camelids, an animal group including llamas and alpacas, causing a positive test.
John and Katie Carr-Ellison, both 68, who live near Alnwick, Northumberland, saw five of their llama herd killed after Enferplex TB tests carried out by Defra. As with Geronimo, Mr Carr-Ellison’s llamas had been repeatedly dosed with tuberculin as a primer in the months prior to their positive test results.
Mr Carr-Ellison’s llamas Manabi, eight, Oruru, six, Elvis, four, Flash, 11, and Michael, four, were consigned for slaughter in 2015.
Mr Carr-Ellison said: ‘I insisted on post-mortems and that they were checked not only for TB but full tissue tests were conducted. They did it twice and they came up with a result where all of them had false positives.
‘I think it is a miscarriage of justice. If llama and alpaca keepers lose confidence in being dealt with fairly by Defra and feel they are being wrongly slaughtered they won’t cooperate with screening.’ A spokesman for Defra said: ‘While nobody wants to cull infected animals, we need to do everything we can to tackle this disease to stop it spreading and to protect the livelihoods of those affected.’