03/07/2026
This is Wilbur. He’s 16 months old. Wilbur has a name because he had a traumatic birth. His mum had a prolapse and we had the emergency vet out literally shovelling the prolapse back in. She wasn’t expected to make it and she couldn’t get up. For days we lifted her, allowing Wilbur to suckle and to try and keep her muscles moving and then, by a miracle - and she remains the only “Down” cow we have ever successfully saved - she got up. Life returned to normal and Wilbur grew up. Except now he’s tested positive for TB. On Tuesday he will be slaughtered. He may or may not have lesions when they cut him open - the skin test is only 80% accurate. And we are shut down - for months. The reality of British farming and why we so desperately need a vaccination against bovine TB 💔
