October 31, 2019

 

Wales pressured to step up efforts in combating bovine TB crisis

 

 

Wales' farm leaders are urging the government to step up efforts in dealing with an ongoing bovine TB crisis in the country, Farmers Weekly reported on October 30.

 

Recent research have continually backed the position of the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) that cattle controls by themselves are inadequate to combat the TB problem, the organisation's president, Glyn Roberts said.

 

"A study published in Scientific Reports journal this month assessed the real effects of the four-yearly culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset between 2013-2017. The results overwhelmingly demonstrate that culling reduces the level of TB in cattle," said Roberts.

 

He pointed out that four years after the introduction of badger culling, the level of bovine TB in cattle reduced by 66% in Gloucestershire and 37% in Somerset. 

 

"Moreover, current data on the edge of the cull areas showed no negative perturbation effects. The Welsh cattle industry continues to operate under a heavy burden of cattle controls that have yet to make a significant impact on the levels of bovine TB in cattle," Roberts added. 

 

"Over 12,300 cattle were slaughtered in Wales in the year ending June 2019. The highest on record.

 

Roberts said Wales' TB policy "should be changed and a scientifically tried-and-tested badger cull policy be established that learns the lessons from the strategy employed by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) in England."

 

The same call for action on the part of Welsh authorities was also expressed by Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds.

 

Dodds said the Welsh government must employ all tools to tackle TB, including greater vaccination rates and targeted culls to contain the disease.

 

"Bovine TB still casts a dark shadow over affected farming communities, with 12,000 cattle slaughtered in Wales alone last year," she added.

 

"There are over 250,000 dairy cows across Wales and they form the key backbone of our agricultural economy. With more than 700 new cases of TB in herds last year alone, we need to ensure we're doing everything we can to control this deadly disease.

 

Dodds also wanted the government to create "a long-term strategy" to tackle the problem "and "ensure future outbreaks of TB are contained and eradicated swiftly."

- Farmers Weekly