PrintFarmers last night criticised new bovine tuberculosis (bTB) tests they said were being imposed by the Scottish Government.
NFU Scotland members and the National Beef Association both expressed alarm at the whole herd annual check producers now face.
The government, however, denied any change to existing rules. Sources said the extra tests on all animals more than 42 days old had always been required and were now being demanded of a handful of farmers in the north-east as their herds had been deemed a higher risk as they were importing animals from bTB hotspots, including Ireland.
NBA Scotland chairman Iain Mathers said that while industry had no qualms over testing breeding cattle for the disease, there were concerns about the extra costs and bureaucracy involved in the test regime now being imposed on certain at-risk herds obliged to be tested annually for bTB.
He also criticised the lack of consultation and explanation for the alleged change that he said appeared to have its roots in Scotland recently winning bTB-free status from the European Commission.
The whole herd annual test applies to units that are either regularly involved in dealing cattle, importing cattle from Ireland or disease hotspots in England and Wales, bull hire or calf rearing for breeding.
Mr Mathers said: "To keep our bTB-free status we are only allowed 14 cases a year, but these new tests will cause problems as they will throw up a lot of false positives in young stirks. What's annoying is that all young calves have to be tested as have fat cattle that are going to be slaughtered.
"There was already a very tight testing regime on imports, but now we have this on top of that, and I just think it is a waste of resources.
"This change has never been discussed, we weren't told it was going to happen. People are only now finding out through the letters they are getting about their annual checks."
He said with the demand that cattle testing positive for bTB are slaughtered there was a fear that many animals may well be killed without being infected. He had reservations at government plans to move to a four-year testing regime for non-risk herds and then to possibly scrap bTB checks altogether. He said the preference of the NBA was for checks to remain at two or three-year intervals. Withdrawing tests would only "leave the door open to a disease disaster".
George Wordie, of Cairnborrow, Glass, Huntly, is among those being forced to adhere to the claimed new rules. He said there were several anomalies, not least the lack of any demand to subsequently check calves under six weeks old on the day of the test. He said the rules allowed these to be sold at a later date, without any subsequent assessment of their bTB status. "It seems a bit of farce."
A government spokeswoman said anyone importing high-risk cattle had to test annually for bTB, which has human health implications.
