26 Farming


THE HERALD FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3 2017


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Chief vet: ‘bTB at 10 year low’ THE CHIEF Veterinary Officer


for Wales, Christianne Glossop, has said new incidents of bovine TB are at a 10 year low as she addressed some of the misconceptions about the disease picture in Wales. Speaking at NFU Cymru’s


Pembrokeshire Annual General Meeting on Thursday, January 26, the Chief Vet highlighted the progress made, with over 95% of Wales’ herds now TB free. The Chief Vet also pointed to


the increase in cattle slaughtered and stressed that although still a cause for concern, it did not reflect a worsening situation as is often reported. Instead, the rise is due to an increase


in the use of the more sensitive gamma interferon blood test and more severe interpretation of the skin test, both of which are flagging infected cattle in herds with a history of bovine TB at an earlier stage. This increased sensitivity of testing


helps to identify infection sooner and reduces the spread of the disease. The number of cattle slaughtered is expected to fall over time as a result of this approach, and as the number of infected herds continues to reduce. The Chief Vet also highlighted


the Cabinet Secretary’s position on controlling the disease in wildlife, saying an ‘England-style’ cull had been ruled out in Wales. The Randomised Badger Culling Trial in England showed a net reduction


BTB has ‘a wildlife reservoir of infection’: Christianne Glossop.


of 16% of new incidents of bovine TB over nine years. In Wales, the number of new incidents recorded has reduced by 47% in eight years through application of increased testing frequency, improved biosecurity and other cattle control measures alone. However, it is recognised that in a


number of long term TB breakdowns, the disease picture points towards a wildlife reservoir of infection. As a result the Cabinet Secretary


has proposed a measured response to controlling the disease in wildlife in Wales. Focussing on these persistent TB breakdowns, where it can be objectively proven badgers are infected, it is proposed the infected groups of badgers are trapped and humanely killed. The Chief Veterinary Officer


reported that work has already started to develop bespoke action plans for each herd, including addressing any wildlife contribution to the problem. Speaking at the conference,


Christianne Glossop said: “We all recognise bovine TB has a significant


financial and social impact on farm businesses and the wider rural economy. While it is encouraging to see the number of new herd incidents falling, even in our highest incidence areas, I recognise this is of little comfort to the farms currently suffering a TB breakdown. This is why we are focusing our efforts on eliminating the disease in affected herds. “The public consultation on


our proposed Refreshed Approach to TB eradication is now closed and we welcome the responses we have received. We are committed to eradicating the disease in Wales, but we cannot do this alone. It’s encouraging NFU Cymru has welcomed the plans for a regionalised approach, as this is aimed at protecting the low incidence area while bearing down on the disease elsewhere. This will help us to build on the progress made so far as we progress towards our ambition of a TB-free Wales.” The refreshed programme is expected to be published in the spring.


‘Time to consider big picture on subsidy’ THE TENANT FARMERS


ASSOCIATION has stressed the need for policymakers to understand the extent to which public support for agriculture subsidises the whole of the supply chain from those providing inputs to farmers through to consumers. “It is too often the case that the


media and other commentators refer to farmers as being the beneficiaries of payments made through the Common Agricultural Policy when in fact the benefits are shared throughout the supply chain with, in the end, very little remaining with the farming community. This needs to be fully understood as we develop policies for the post-Brexit era


and to avoid the damage that would be caused by simply abandoning the current payments made to farmers,” said Ken Lumley of the TFA. “As a tenant farmer in the uplands


farming livestock, I have to pay a rent to my landlord as well as having to pay for all the usual farm inputs and the price that I am able to obtain from the market for selling my stock does not cover those costs. However, I take a price below my costs of production because of the payments I receive through the Common Agricultural Policy. This in turn benefits processors, retailers and consumers since without any payments, I would either have to secure a much higher price for my


livestock which would then have to be passed on down the supply chain, or I would be forced to go out of production, along with many other livestock producers which would constrict overall supply and raise prices to pre-CAP supply and demand balances. “That is not to say that I am


particularly wedded to the current system of payments. I support the proposals put forward by the TFA for major improvements to the operation of agricultural policy which, once we have left the European Union, we would gain the flexibility to do. I would want to see a better formulated, outcome-focused agri-environment


LAST week, we celebrated


Farmhouse Breakfast Week - and what a success it was! So many of you joined us around the kitchen table for chats, sharing ideas, thoughts, concerns and worries as well. It was absolutely wonderful to have our members involved in what we do. I think we can say with absolute


certainty that the food our farmers here produce is of world-class quality and I must thank all those who donated breakfast produce for our campaign. We all enjoyed the huge variety of Welsh farmhouse produce on offer, from sausages, bacon, eggs, black pudding, ham, cheese and other dairy products. Our industry is one to be proud off! The start of February reminds


me that it’s that time of year again when we start thinking about SAF forms. With just a few weeks to go until the application window opens, I just want to let you know that we are here to help. Let us take the stress of filling the form away from you and give us a call to book your appointment. The FUW provides this free


service exclusively to all members, which has proved invaluable for thousands of members over the years - saving them time and a paperwork-headache. In fact, our recent membership survey revealed that it’s the most valued service we provide you with! Our staff are not only well


scheme and targeted help to active farmers in building business resilience through infrastructural grants, risk management tools and cost reduction schemes. At the same time, we need to see the government doing more on labelling, promotion, public food procurement and protecting environmental and animal welfare standards from inferior production coming in from abroad,” said Mr Lumley. He concluded: “One area which


trained but very well practised in dealing with the complex application process. The SAF completion process is probably the single most important form completion exercise being carried out by Welsh farmers since 2004, and the financial repercussions of errors on the forms are severe. Since the Welsh Government


mandated that all applications should be done online, the FUW is focused on providing the best possible service to its members and we would love to hear from you in the county office. I encourage our members and


first time form fillers to contact us as soon as possible to book an appointment if they need help in filling out the form. Appointments can be made from the start of March as soon as the application process is open.


On a final note for this week,


I want you to be aware that there have been some changes to the 2017 Cross-Compliance rules. The majority of the revised factsheets have had fairly minor, but important, word changes to them to help clarify the rules. However, SMR 11 and SMR 12 have undergone more significant changes and additional requirements have been added. It is important that farmers


familiarise themselves with these changes as a breach of the rules could lead to penalties against the 2017 BPS payment.


must be worked on is to ensure that any payments made through future agricultural policy go only to active farmers. Too often we see current payments being made to owners of land who are not actively involved in agricultural production, do not take entrepreneurial risk and have left day-to-day management control to other occupiers. This is a misuse of public money, provides no benefit to the supply chain and must be avoided when any new policy is created.”


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