Countryfile star Adam Henson shares 'difficult' decades long struggle on farm

Countryfile made a delightful comeback to our telly screens on Sunday (6 July), with Adam Henson leading the first of four special editions of the popular BBC Two programme.

The episodes see Adam engaging with multigenerational farming families, delving into their daily routines, their customs and the obstacles they encounter.

He initiated things in Leicestershire with the Eggleston family, who have been supplying milk for the local Stilton cheese dairy for over a century.

The episode also showcased snippets from the Countryfile archives, with Adam touring other UK farms. During one farm visit, Adam assisted in gathering the cattle for an annual Tuberculosis - commonly referred to as TB - test.

He elucidated to viewers how the prevalence of TB among animals in New Zealand was significantly higher than Great Britain's figures in the 1990s, being around seven times more. However, that had drastically changed by 2011, being approximately 40 times less, reports Gloucestershire Live.

"I'm eager to understand how they've accomplished this remarkable reduction," Adam expressed. "As, back home, my animals have been afflicted with TB for decades."

He met with Michelle Murphy, an animal technician whose full-time role is to TB test animals, to discuss TB rates and methods to prevent its spread on farms.

"It's about controlling the infected wildlife," Michelle started. "Possums, feral deer, ferrets, wild pigs. Anything that can carry or spread TB."

Adam highlighted that all the species Michelle mentioned are "non-native" and also cause environmental damage, leading to their label as "pests".

"Well, we've got a similar problem at home, but the vectors, the animals in the wild that carry TB, particularly badgers, have been in our country for centuries, if not thousands of years," Adam explained.

He then expressed admiration for Michelle's efforts in tackling TB outbreaks, saying: "So, they're a native species, very symbolic to Britain. So, it's really difficult for us to get on top of it, but interesting how you've managed it over here. You've been really robust about it, haven't you?"

Adam also disclosed that TB testing is a "stressful" ordeal for both cattle and farmers, who strive to release the animals as swiftly as possible once testing concludes.

Countryfile airs on Sundays on BBC Two at 7.05pm