Bovine TB board established in Wales
“Since my appointment I have been keen to meet farmers, vets and industry and listened to their concerns regarding the burden and anxieties of TB” – Huw Irranca-Davies.
The Welsh government has established a new Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board to provide strategic advice to the cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs.
Board members are yet to be confirmed, but will be largely made up of farmers and people from farming background. The board will be chaired by a farmer.
There will also be representatives from the British Veterinary Association Welsh Branch, the National Farmers Union Cymru, the Farmers' Union of Wales, the Animal Plant Health Agency, and the Welsh government, alongside the chief veterinary officer for Wales.
The board forms part of a new governance structure set up under the Welsh government's TB Eradication Programme Delivery Plan. A Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group was formed in April.
The first priorities of the board will include considering the Technical Advisory Group’s advice in relation to the six-yearly review of Wales’ TB eradication targets and looking at ways to improve communication and engagement with veterinary surgeons and farmers.
Huw Irranca-Davies, cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, said: “I am particularly happy to make this announcement as it shows our clear commitment to listening to industry and placing partnership working at the very centre of the bovine TB eradication programme.
“Since my appointment I have been keen to meet farmers, vets and industry and listened to their concerns regarding the burden and anxieties of TB. Recognising the impact on farmers, their families and their businesses is at the forefront of my mind.”
Dai Miles, FUW deputy-president and dairy farmer, said: “Whilst we welcome the announcement by Huw Irranca-Davies today, as cattle keepers, we continue to be shackled by this on-going disease.
“In 2022, FUW analysis estimated that the total cost of bovine TB pre-movement testing borne by cattle keepers in Wales was more than £2.3 million. A staggering 11,197 animals were slaughtered in the 12 months to March 2024.”
He concluded: “As a union, we are keen to play our part and work closely with both the Eradication Programme Board and the Technical Advisory Group in reviewing important matters relevant to bovine TB eradication. These include areas such as the appropriateness of current testing regimes and methods in which disease transmission by wildlife could be addressed.”
Image © Welsh government
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