Our Vision
Our vision is a farming community that feels supported, informed and empowered to manage bovine TB with confidence, resilience and collaboration - reducing the impact of bTB on farmer wellbeing, farm businesses and the wider agricultural industry nationwide.
Our Mission
• To support farmer wellbeing by providing peer-led emotional support during and after TB breakdowns, and by signposting to mental health and business support services that understand the realities of farming
• To educate and empower farmers through practical, trusted information on bTB risks, biosecurity, testing and control measures, helping rebuild confidence in TB protocols and long-term disease management.
• To strengthen collaboration and engagement by improving communication between farmers, veterinarians, APHA, and support organisations, encouraging participation in TB control strategies and contributing to a nationwide reduction in bTB spread.
Our Founders Story
Emily Ashford grew up on her family’s organic dairy, beef and sheep farm in South Dartmoor, Devon. One of three siblings, she was always the most likely to return home to the farm.
After graduating from the University of Reading with a degree in Agriculture in 2014, Emily pursued a professional rowing career representing Great Britain. Unfortunately, injury forced her to retire from the sport in 2019, after which she joined the Metropolitan Police while remaining based in London for personal reasons.
In December 2021, Emily made the decision to return to Devon, take a career break from the police, and take over management of the dairy enterprise on the family farm. Within months, however, the herd suffered a devastating bovine TB breakdown. Over the following three and a half years, the Ashford family lost 131 cattle in total in what became a deeply traumatic experience.
The losses were especially painful because the family traditionally milked around 70 – 80 pedigree Ayrshire cows, a breed Emily had grown up showing and caring for. She considers every cow in the herd a cherished member of the team, so enduring repeated TB tests that resulted in cattle being removed every 60 days was emotionally overwhelming for the family and extremely detrimental to Emily's mental health.
Through this experience, Emily recognised a major gap in the support available to farming families facing TB breakdowns - particularly emotional and practical guidance. No farmer should have to go through the burden of bovine TB alone.
As a result, Emily founded TB Champions CIC, an organisation dedicated to supporting farmers throughout their TB breakdown journey. Whether farmers need emotional support, practical advice, help navigating movement restrictions and licensing paperwork, or simply someone who understands what they are going through, TB Champions aims to help ease the burden of bovine TB on farming families.
TB Champions Programme of Training
The TB Champions Programme provided a comprehensive programme of training designed to equip our TB Champions with the knowledge, skills and professional standards required to support farmers affected by bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The course covered the science of bovine TB, including disease pathology, transmission, testing protocols, risk factors and biosecurity measures, alongside an overview of UK TB policy, governance and regulatory requirements. Participants also gained an understanding of Approved Finishing Units (AFUs), APHA protocols, government guidance, and the practical implications of TB breakdowns, including movement restrictions, herd management challenges and business resilience.
In addition to technical and policy knowledge, the programme placed a strong emphasis on communication, wellbeing and professional conduct. Training included a Level 3 Award in Supervising First Aid for Mental Health, enabling Champions to recognise and respond appropriately to mental health challenges within farming communities. Participants also developed skills in effective communication, active listening, relationship building and managing sensitive conversations with farmers. The programme concluded with guidance on the role, governance and responsibilities of a TB Champion, including professional boundaries, reporting requirements, safeguarding, signposting to support services and continuing professional development expectations.
Why our approach is different.
Each farm receives:
A dedicated local Champion
Ongoing 1-to-1 support
Guidance through regulatory processes
Help coordinating professional advice
Signposting to trained mental health specialists
Champions do not replace veterinary or statutory services — they strengthen engagement with them.
Evidence-based support.
Our pilot programme in Devon demonstrated:
Engaged with 100 farmers
10 trained Champions deployed
Partnerships established across veterinary and industry networks
Improved farmer confidence and reduced isolation
The model is now being prepared for wider rollout.
