The call comes in the wake of the latest written statement on Wales TB Eradication Programme issued by the Minister for Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths MS on Monday 11 July.
NFU Cymru has welcomed the willingness the Minister has shown to work with industry to tackle bovine TB, but stressed that eradication will only be achieved if the disease is tackled across all its vectors.
Source of pain and misery
Chairman of the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group, Roger Lewis said: “Bovine TB continues to be a source of pain and misery for the Welsh cattle industry. The disease is one of the main threats to the Welsh agricultural industry’s future viability. Between the end of March 2021 and 2022, over 10,000 animals were slaughtered in Wales as result of Bovine TB and we must remember that behind this statistic, there are hundreds of farming families dealing with the emotional and financial trauma of bovine TB on their farm.
Work collaboratively
“Earlier this year NFU Cymru’s TB Focus Group made a number of recommendations to the Minister around a series of key themes that included improving communication to farmers; the importance of AFUs and orange markets as an avenue of sale for those farms under restriction; biosecurity; testing and the sharing of data. NFU Cymru is pleased that the Minister has referred to all of these issues in her statement today, as well as showing her willingness to work with industry to consider how these issues can be taken forward. It is especially welcome to see the Minister recognise the importance of the relationship between the farmer and their private vet. This is something our members are very keen to see progressed. We stand ready to work collaboratively with Welsh Government through the new mechanisms they suggest in this statement on the refreshed Wales TB Eradication Programme.
“Welsh Government recognises that bovine TB is a complex disease and says further engagement with industry is needed on TB payments. The union categorically rejects any move towards tabular valuation which would be devastating for our industry. NFU Cymru maintains that the fairest system is the system we have in place today, where an animal is valued by a professional based on its individual characteristics. The likelihood is that a system based on averages would be likely to overvalue as undervalue stock. We are absolutely clear that the only way to reduce the cost of the eradication programme is to ensure that TB is controlled quickly and effectively, so that the disease has the smallest possible impact on the national herd. The fewer animals that need to be slaughtered because of bovine TB, the lower the compensation bill and the lower the cost for both government and industry.
“NFU Cymru members remain deeply frustrated that the ability to effectively tackle this disease has, for so many years, been hampered by the fact that Welsh Government policy measures see politics, all too often, override the science. Bovine TB is a complex disease that requires a comprehensive approach to eradication and we believe that it should be tackled wherever it exists – whether that be in cattle or the wildlife. NFU Cymru will continue to work tirelessly for a comprehensive TB eradication strategy for Wales, one which can rid the countryside of this disease once and for all.”