Rushmere Alpacas

19/02/2023

Two gorgeous 7 month females for sale Pandora and Persephone. Halter trained and will feed from hand. Will only sell as a pair. Great genetics including Softfoot Koo Wee Rup and Purrumbete Highlander. Message for further details or phone 07970757219

03/12/2022

Our barn and stable before our final clear out and then demolition on Dec 12th ready for a new structure that we hope won't leak, doesn't have asbestos roofing and will support an array of photovoltaic cells

23/11/2022

Vet day - microchipping, vit d, cloistridial and pregnancy scanning. Great news - both our girls pregnant and looking good.

10/12/2021

Interviewed on BBC Radio 3 Counties about Geronimo. No conclusive TB cultures have been identified - DEFRA are still saying he must have had TB because of the original tests - which a number of vets have agreed were flawed - rather than accepting they were wrong. We need a detailed inquiry.

Roberto Perrone brings you local news, sport, weather, travel and your views.

18/09/2021

Please do sign the petition to have a public inquiry into TB. This issue affects so many people, not just alpaca owners.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/596821?fbclid=IwAR2NlmT2Yz_XoiVLfeoiKxZVB5DvZqJYfDBKje_djQlfbl5G0EgTqaxofjw

We demand a Public Inquiry into Government’s science, policies, and actions, in their efforts to control bovine tuberculosis, (bTB).

26/08/2021

1 week to go for the order to kill Geronimo to be carried out. Vets have written an open letter supporting Helen McDonald's fight and agreeing that the testing regime which Geronimo was subjected to was flawed. Please keep sharing news of Geronimo to keep him in the news for this crucial week.

Extract from the open letter from Senior Vets (MRCVS) urging SofS George Eustice to agree to a meeting...
"Defra bTB scientist Eleanor Brown stated to the High Court on Thursday 18 August that a ‘bespoke randomised field trial’ would be needed to evaluate whether repeated injections of tuberculin gave rise to a significantly higher proportion of positive antibody (Enferplex, DPP or IDEXX) test results in TB-free animals than in ‘non-primed’ (non-boosted) TB-free animals from the same herds.
Dr Brown went on to confirm that ‘APHA did not carry out such a trial in this case’.
Defra officials have claimed that the specificity of Enferplex in alpacas is more than 99%. This may be true for the validated Enferplex test used as a stand-alone test without antibody boosting (priming)."


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21/08/2021

Our lads outside the stage door in Northampton waiting for their big moment (well only Darius goes on stage!)

20/08/2021

An excellent letter in Farmers Weekly which explains the problem with Geronimo

Letter in the Farmers Weekly from a highly respected cattle producer who llamas were slaughtered as a result of double priming before Enferplex testing

15/08/2021

Cattle farmers - work with us not against us

14/08/2021

At least that means Helen has the weekend off!

The Government have confirmed this evening that no steps shall be taken to execute the warrant to slaughter Geronimo the alpaca until 4pm on Monday 16th August, at the earliest.

08/08/2021

In the article Eustice says "I investigated the owner's assertion that a previous 'skin test' in New Zealand combined with using a 'primer' might have led to a false result, but the Enferplex test detects the protein of bTB itself, not an immune response, so that theory was discounted." This is factually and scientifically incorrect and the Secretary of State must retract this statement because it is not true. From the SureFarm website (SureFarm developed the Enferplex test) ‘The Enferplex TB test is a serological assay which identifies the presence of antibody to Mycobacterium bovis, the causal agent of for bovine Tuberculosis (bTB). The test detects the presence of antibodies to bTB by use of individual antigens.' If our Secretary of State cannot read and comprehend plain English, more particularly with all the discussions of immune response and Covid-19 currently on offer he should not be in this position of authority and must consider his position very carefully.