| 2018-08-15 |    |
Welsh Bovine TB Statistics Show Need for Urgent Action
The continued frustration of the impact of Bovine TB on the Welsh farming industry remains a major talking point.
Official government statistics released last month revealed that the number of new herd incidents in Wales has increased by 10% and that the number of herds under restrictions in Wales in the 12 months, up to the end of April 2018, has increased by over 16% when comparing year-on-year. The figures also reveal a 3% year-on-year increase in the total number of animals slaughtered in Wales due to Bovine TB.
The local situation in Pembrokeshire alone is particularly alarming with 3,387 cattle slaughtered in the county due to Bovine TB in the 12 month period up to the end of April 2018 – this is a staggering 24% increase compared to the same 12 month period last year.
Speaking at the Pembrokeshire
show, local dairy farmer and Pembrokeshire
NFU Cymru County Chairman, Jeff Evans said:
“I fully appreciate that
when looking at a disease as complex as Bovine
TB, one should consider
short term statistical changes in the context of long term trends.
However this scale of loss is hugely damaging and unsustainable for
the industry in Pembrokeshire.”
Mr Evans continued:
“Far too many farming families in this area continue
to struggle under the enormous emotional and financial strain caused
by Bovine TB. Cattle farmers here in Pembrokeshire, and throughout
the rest of Wales, are continuing to play their part to help control
and eradicate the disease by adhering to stringent cattle movement
and testing controls. However these latest figures clearly illustrate
that the measures currently in place to eradicate this disease are
not working.”
Mr Evans added:
“The Welsh Government introduced a regionalised approach
to tackling the disease in Wales in October 2017. This includes enhanced
measures for chronic breakdown herds where individual action plans have
been drawn up with disease control measures specifically aimed at clearing
up infection in cattle. In these chronic breakdown herds, Welsh Government
made a commitment that where there is evidence of infection in the local
badger population, a range of options to reduce the risk of disease spread
will be considered, including cage-trapping, testing and where necessary
humanely killing infected badgers.
“It is a source of real frustration that since the introduction of these individual action plans for chronic breakdown herds, Welsh Government in 2017 only managed to issue licences on three farms across the whole of Wales, with only five badgers having been removed. This is in stark contrast to the 10,119 cattle that have been slaughtered in Wales due to Bovine TB in the last 12 months. This is when we know, from the Badger Found Dead Survey, that in some parts of Wales one in five badgers are suffering from this disease. The continual testing and slaughter of infected cattle alone will not eradicate the disease in herds where re-infection occurs from badgers, this makes control very difficult and eradication impossible.”
Mr Evans continued:
“We have always said that we must use every option
available to us, this includes; cattle testing, cattle controls, improving
biosecurity, encouraging farmers to make informed purchasing decisions
and strengthening the role that local vets play in tackling this horrendous
disease. Experience from many other countries has shown that any comprehensive
TB eradication strategy must also actively remove infection from diseased
wildlife across high incidence areas.”
Mr Evans concluded:
“I cannot stress enough the importance of Welsh Government
moving forward with a truly comprehensive approach to TB eradication, we
cannot be here again in twelve months’ time talking about this scale of
loss of productive cattle from the county.”
