Science must dictate TB control
11/08/05

TB is too important to be at the mercy of political expediency. The message from CLA Wales was delivered at the United Counties Show in Carmarthen. South Wales regional director Jonathan Andrews called on the Welsh Assembly Government to put its funding behind the scientific evidence.

He is calling for a combination of culling and vaccination of badgers and cattle instead of just the culling of cattle as a means of bringing the disease under control. He is particularly concerned about the 'hotspot' areas in West Wales where the disease has taken hold.

"I believe that the Welsh Assembly Government should recognise that there is very clear scientific evidence about the disease", he added. "The new chief veterinary officer, Christianne Glossop, needs to be allowed to follow the science and not be forced to bow to political expediency".

Dr Ruth Watkins off Llanddeusant near Llangadog who has advised the WAG's TB Action Group on behalf of the CLA added that the Welsh Assembly Government should carry out a proper study of bovine TB. It was important to know where it is and where and how it is spreading.

"It's vital that the Welsh Assembly Government makes funds available and then channels them in the right direction", she added. "It's not right to make the people who are affected by the disease pay for its control.

"And it's important that control of the disease isn't baulked by economics and politics. You have to follow the scientific evidence. It's quite clear that there has to be control of the badgers.

"You have hot spot areas where the disease is just going around and around in circles. Badgers are sharing fields with cattle and in some instances entering buildings, and all the time shedding infection. Yet no-one has taken a good look at how it is spread.

"In the hotspots practically every farm is affected yet no-one is able to answer the question of whether all the cattle are infected with the same strain of TB. There are some difficult and expensive questions to answer, but the disease is making it almost impossible to farm cattle in some of these areaa.

"The money is being spent on killing cattle instead of trying to implement proper disease control. We need a programme of culling and vaccination".