Seven llamas are culled after TB outbreak at ‘trekking and therapy’ farm – with 27 more in isolation

Seven llamas were culled following a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak on a farm in England; 27 llamas were also kept in isolation out of concern that they might have contracted the disease.

Lisa Fox, owner of Briery Hill Llamas in Gloucestershire, was ‘heartbroken’ after seeing her animals killed under the instructions of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

This came after a llama named Stardust fell ill and died; The autopsy revealed that he suffered from tuberculosis.

This led to urgent testing at the ‘trekking and therapy’ farm, which revealed a further seven animals were infected.

These llamas were then euthanized; now there are 27 more llamas They are in isolation, waiting to be tested to determine whether they have the disease. If the tests come back positive, they will likely be culled.

TB is a chronic, infectious respiratory disease affecting mammals caused by a group of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The outbreak on Ms Fox’s farm comes five years after an alpaca named Geronimo was culled following a long legal battle that shook the country.

Geronimo, known as the ‘cursed alpaca’, was killed on the orders of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on 31 August 2021, despite desperate attempts to save him.

The animal tested two positive for tuberculosis, but Geronimo’s owner, Helen Macdonald, insisted these results were false positives.

The farm owner’s nightmare began when a llama named Stardust (pictured) died; The autopsy revealed that the animal had tuberculosis.

This led to urgent tests at the ‘trekking and therapy’ farm, which revealed a further seven animals had been infected and later euthanised (there is a picture of a llama at Mrs Fox’s farm)

He brought many challenges to the High Court to save Geronimo but he was eventually euthanized by DEFRA staff in a moment that caused the nation to mourn.

Speaking this week, Ms Fox said the devastating outbreak at her Forest of Dean-based farm had left her unable to open for business.

He added: ‘As a family, we were devastated after losing eight of our llamas to tuberculosis. We have been offered no assistance from government bodies and are now closed for almost the entire year 2026.

‘Stardust was the first llama to fall ill on the farm. He passed away and the autopsy showed that he had tuberculosis.

‘We then carried out initial tests which showed that seven of our llamas had tuberculosis. This meant that all llamas had to be isolated and destroyed.

‘The reason I did this was for the rest of the herd because I love our animals so much that I don’t treat them as my property.

‘We lost sleep over this. The impact it has on your mental health – it goes without saying. It’s like living in a nightmare and you just hope to wake up but the problem is it’s real.

‘It’s devastating not being able to do what you love. More government support is needed, we are now caught in the middle.’

The bulk of Ms Fox’s income came from ‘walking and therapy’ work with llamas on the family farm, where pigs and cows were now tested for tuberculosis.

The outbreak at Ms Fox’s farm this week comes five years after an alpaca called Geronimo (pictured on a farm in Gloucestershire in 2021) was culled following a long legal battle that shook the country.

Ms Fox says her business could be closed for almost all of 2026

It is not possible for Ms. Fox to offer such experiences until rounds of tuberculosis testing are completed, which may not be possible until the end of the year.

Although compensation is available for culled animals, Ms Fox says it does not cover vet bills or wider financial losses. He added that Stardust’s vet bill totaled around £15,000.

‘APHA sets a standard payment for animals culled due to tuberculosis,’ Ms Fox said. ‘But this amount does not even cover the veterinary expenses resulting from Stardust’s illness.

‘This also doesn’t take into account the time, breeding, expertise and care that went into working with Stardust and all the other beautiful llamas we lost.’

The farm owner said he had to borrow money from relatives to build an electric fence to reduce the risk of further spread of the disease.

‘Are you losing sleep because you’re thinking about how we’re going to live?’ he added.

‘We currently have 27 llamas left, but we are not allowed to work with these llamas in terms of bringing people here.

‘If the public comes to the farm they have to stay three meters away from the llamas; but that’s not our job. The main part of the work is llama trekking and llama afternoon tea.

‘I have an animal assistant intervention specialist certificate. ‘They are such docile animals that they have now taken away all our income.’

Ms Fox will have to wait until July 10 for skin tests to be carried out on the llamas, which are currently kept in isolation, before being subjected to blood tests 10 days later.

However, he said it may take up to 30 days for the tests to arrive, and even if they give negative results, there will be a 90-day waiting period before the tests can be done again.

Ms Fox will have to wait until July 10 for skin tests to be carried out on the llamas, which are currently kept in isolation, before being subjected to blood tests 10 days later.

If the tests are positive, the llamas will be euthanized.

Ms Fox said: ‘Until you have two rounds of leave – that’s until the end of 2026.

‘They need to change their testing methods, so instead of 90 days they need to increase it to 60 days because it’s not helpful.

‘Stardust, The Pocket Rocket, Merlin, Rossi, Dylan, Troy, Querrida and Baloo have brought joy to so many people and brought great joy to our family.

‘During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government provided grants to businesses.

‘Despite our sadness, we are expected to continue our journey without any income and without financial support from the authorities.’

Defra said the rapid removal of any animal infected or suspected of being infected with tuberculosis was vital to quickly control the disease and protect other animals and others nearby.

A spokesman for Defra said: ‘We appreciate the difficulty of these situations and sympathize with anyone who has animals affected by bovine tuberculosis.

‘This is a serious disease that is causing devastation to farmers and rural communities and so we must take measures to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.

‘The government pays compensation for animals compulsorily removed for tuberculosis control purposes.’