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THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 20 2017


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Unions hit out on bTB


Europe would only make sense if badger numbers were reduced in the areas where they are passing the disease on to cattle.” In 2012, the Bovine Tuberculosis


Public are opposed to culls: Simon Thomas THE FARMERS’ UNION OF


WALES has rejected proposals to split Wales into five bovine TB regions in its response to a Welsh Government consultation, highlighting the need to tackle the disease in badger populations. The Welsh Government proposes


splitting Wales into two high, two intermediate and one low TB level regions, with different rules applying in each region. The proposals would mean a heightening of Wales’ cattle TB rules, which are already amongst the strictest in the world. But following a consultation


with its 12 county branches, the majority of FUW members rejected


the proposals, highlighting the need for meaningful controls which address transmission of the disease from badgers to cattle.


CALL TO REDUCE BADGER NUMBERS


FUW TB Spokesman Brian


Walters said: “The consultation paper acknowledges that the level of disease found in badgers in Wales is 6.6%, around 1420% higher than the level found in cattle - which is 0.4%. “Members made it clear that the


proposal to split Wales up into five regions and further add to what are already the strictest TB controls in


subgroup of the EU Task Force for Monitoring Animal Disease Eradication criticised Welsh Government politicians for replacing a previously planned badger cull with a badger vaccination programme, stating: “There is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that badger vaccination will reduce the incidence of TB in cattle. However, there is considerable evidence to support the removal of badgers in order to improve the TB status of both badgers and cattle.” The latest official report on the


badger vaccination programme, which lasted four years and cost £3.7 million, concludes that: “Consistent trends in indicators of bTB incidence have not yet been seen…”


WILDLIFE VECTOR ‘THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM’


By contrast, the government’s


official scientific advice had concluded that a badger cull in the area would have led to a significant


Paul Davies: Government has frustrated farmers


reduction in the number of herds with TB and cattle slaughtered and actually saved money, despite costs being similar to those of the vaccination programme. Amongst the proposals consulted


upon by the Welsh Government was the adoption of a New Zealand type ‘informed purchasing’ approach to cattle trading, but during a recent Welsh Assembly Climate Change Committee hearing, Dr Paul Livingstone, who previously led New Zealand’s successful eradication programme, said nothing was being done in Wales about the disease in badgers, describing the issue as ‘the elephant in the room’. “A New Zealand type approach


is one the Welsh farming industry would fully support, because it is a genuine partnership between government and farmers in which politicians recognise the need to cull wildlife to control TB. “Without


that commitment


by Welsh politicians, we will never achieve the success seen in New Zealand, Australia and other countries which have implemented successful eradication programmes by tackling the disease in both cattle and wildlife,” added Mr Walters.


FARMERS FRUSTRATED BY GOVERNMENT


NFU Cymru has made it clear to


the Welsh Government that farmers across Wales are ‘as frustrated as they have ever been’ with the impact bovine TB is having on Wales. As part of its formal response


Brian Walters, FUW: 'Farmers would support GENUINE partnership with government'


to the Welsh Government’s ‘A refreshed TB eradication programme’ consultation document, NFU Cymru said it could not accept further cattle controls without action also being taken to actively address the disease in wildlife. NFU Cymru welcomes the


recognition from the Welsh Government in the consultation document on the need to take appropriate interventions to break the transmission routes of disease between cattle and wildlife. However, the Union maintains that a refreshed strategy must feature a focus on moving forward with proposals to actively break this link and removing the reservoir of infection in the wildlife population in endemic areas of Wales. In its response to the consultation,


NFU Cymru has voiced a number of concerns over the six-monthly testing period proposed for high TB areas, including increased costs, health and safety concerns, and the increased likelihood that tests will fall at inconvenient times, such as harvest or when cattle are heavily pregnant or calving.


RESERVOIR OF DISEASE STILL UNADDRESSED


While NFU Cymru is generally


supportive of targeting controls and actions that are specific to the disease prevalence in the local area, the Union’s members are clear that any zoning of Wales into TB areas should not take place until the current County Parish Holding (CPH) rationalisation programme is complete, so as not to add further complication and confusion to livestock movement rules. During the consultation exercise,


a range of issues around the proposals have been raised which NFU Cymru believes require further consideration. It is the Union’s belief that these issues require further discussion with representatives of the industry, including vets and livestock auctioneers. NFU Cymru President Stephen


James said: “Since coming into post, the Cabinet Secretary has taken the


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