Requirements for carrying out TB testing in zoological collections
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-03)

Tuberculosis (TB) testing in zoos, safari parks and other collections, the qualifications needed and when vets and Official Veterinarians must apply for permission from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Registered vets and Official Veterinarians can carry out TB testing in zoological collections, depending on what type of testing it is:
- statutory testing must be carried out by an Official Veterinarian (OV) with an OCQ(V) - TT qualification
- non-statutory testing can be carried out by vets without this qualification
Most vets carrying out TB testing must be authorised as OVs under the OCQ(V) - TT qualification. There are specific circumstances however when this is not required for TB testing in zoological collections. This only applies to a small minority of vets who are TB testing in zoological collections.

Registered vets considering applying for OCQ(V) - TT or revalidating it should check this guidance to find out whether the qualification is needed for the work they intend to carry out in zoological collections.

Contact the APHA OV team (https://improve-ov.com/contact/apha.php) if you need further guidance.

Statutory TB testing

Examples of statutory TB testing

Statutory testing includes:
- routine active surveillance, enhanced surveillance and movement testing of any domestic bovine animals kept on a premises where they have contact with the public. For example, cattle on ‘open farms’
- targeted, ad hoc surveillance of any non-bovine farmed species that may be kept in zoos, such as camelids, deer, goats, sheep and pigs, where required by APHA following suspicion or confirmation of M. bovis infection, or disclosure of an epidemiological link with an infected (TB breakdown) herd
Surveillance testing bovine animals kept in zoos

APHA may exempt bovine animals in zoos from the requirement for statutory routine surveillance testing, if they:
- are not slaughtered for human consumption
- are not traded
- do not come into contact with the general public (for example, on an ‘open farm’)
Bovine animals are defined:
- in England, as “domestic cattle of the genus Bos, as well as captive bovines of the genera Bubalus and Bison”
- in Wales, as “domestic cattle of the genus Bos, buffalo or bison”
- in Scotland, as “domestic cattle of the genus Bos, Bubalus bubalis or Bison bison”
Surveillance testing non-bovine animals kept in zoos

APHA assess the need for statutory, targeted surveillance TB testing in non-bovine zoological mammals on a case-by-case basis.

Who can do it

Statutory TB testing must be carried out by an OV with an OCQ(V) - TT qualification.

Find out more about the OCQ(V) - TT qualification (https://www.improve-ov.com/qualifications/tt-course.php) at Improve international.

Who pays for testing

Statutory TB testing is usually instructed and paid for by APHA. There are some exceptions, for example mandatory pre- or post-movement TB testing of bovine animals which must be arranged and funded by the animal keeper.

When you need to get permission from APHA

Testing instructions issued to OVs for statutory tests also serve as the written notification giving them permission to test.

APHA has issued a General Authorisation (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-authorisation-for-ovs-pre-and-post-movement-tb-testing-of-cattle) allowing OVs to carry out pre- and post-movement testing of cattle to control the spread of bovine TB.

Non-statutory TB testing

Examples of non-statutory testing

Non-statutory testing includes:
- private TB surveillance in bovine and non-bovine animals (domestic or wild), as part of a voluntary zoo health management programme, including where this forms part of a zoo’s Balai or Confined Establishment approval
- pre-export testing where this is required by an importing country for a live non-bovine animal export
- private testing of wild mammals voluntarily undertaken by a zoo to support the revocation of TB movement restrictions and, if appropriate, regain Balai or Confined Establishment approval status
Who can do it

Non-statutory TB testing can be carried out by any vet registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

Vets must:
- work in accordance with professional guidance from the RCVS
- act within their professional competence
- apply for permission from APHA for testing animals covered by the TB orders
Who pays for testing

Non-statutory TB testing is paid for by the animal’s keeper.

When you need to get permission from APHA

You must request permission from APHA to test animals covered by the TB orders:
- in England: bovine animals, deer, camelids, domestic pigs, sheep or goats
- in Wales: bovine animals, deer, camelids or goats
- in Scotland: bovine animals, deer, goats, pigs, sheep, alpacas, guanacos, llamas or vicuñas
The Orders are:
- In England, The Tuberculosis in Animals (England) Order 2021 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/1001/contents)
- In Scotland, The Tuberculosis (Scotland) Order 2023 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2023/93/made) and The Tuberculosis in Specified Animals (Scotland) Order 2015 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2015/327/contents/made)
- In Wales, The Tuberculosis (Wales) Order 2010 (as amended) (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2010/1379/contents/made) and The Tuberculosis (Wales) Order 2011 (as amended) (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2011/692/contents/made).
How to get permission from APHA

Find out how to get permission for private TB testing (https://www.improve-ov.com/instructions/instructions.php?ta=11) of bovine animals.

For non-bovine animals, vets must send a completed TN184 form (Request to Test - TB testing of non-bovine species) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tn184-request-to-carry-out-tb-testing-of-non-bovine-species) to APHA before testing.