A NEW Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board has been established for Wales, the latest development in reaching the shared goal of a TB-free Wales.
Huw Irranca-Davies, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, confirmed the news ahead of a week of attending agricultural shows across Wales.
It follows the formation of the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group in April. It completes the governance structure for the programme set out in the TB Eradication Programme Delivery Plan published in March 2023.
IRRANCA-DAVIES CALLS FOR PARTNERSHIP
Speaking ahead of travelling to the Anglesey Agricultural Show and Pembrokeshire County Show, the Cabinet Secretary 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.”
Board members will be confirmed in due course. However, the Cabinet Secretary said he intended the Board to largely be made up of farmers from different parts of Wales and people from farming backgrounds.
A farmer will chair the Board.
Officials representing three key industry organisations – the National Farmers Union Cymru, Farmers’ Union of Wales and the British Veterinary Association Welsh branch – will also be appointed.
The Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales and a member representing the Welsh Government and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, respectively, will also be present.
The Board will meet quarterly and provide strategic advice to the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.
Early priorities for the Board will include considering the Technical Advisory Group’s advice regarding the six-yearly review of Wales’s TB eradication targets and exploring how to improve communication and engagement with farmers and vets.
FARMING FAMILIES’ INPUT VITAL
Responding to the announcement, NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “It is welcome news that the Cabinet Secretary has appointed the Bovine TB Programme Board and following the appointment of the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group (TAG) earlier in the year.
“The Programme Board is the final important piece in the governance structure for the Welsh Government’s TB policy.
“It is positive to see strong farmer and veterinary representation around the table, as farming families and their own private farm vets are at the front line of dealing with this dreadful disease, so their views on future TB policy are vital.
“The Programme Board has incredibly important work to do in driving forward a route to eradication of this terrible disease, something the future generations of cattle farmers in Wales depend on.
“In the period from April 2023 to March 2024, over 11,000 cattle were slaughtered because of bovine TB in Wales. That’s a sobering statistic, and we cannot allow that level of slaughter to continue.
“In this respect, NFU Cymru continue to call for a comprehensive disease eradication strategy that tackles this disease wherever it exists.
“Three years ago, the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group was formed to help inform our views on TB policy and to identify where improvements could be made to policy without risking disease control.
“We stand ready to use our seat on the Programme Board to take forward the views of our membership to the Board, whether those views be from farmers where TB is present on the farm or is threatening at the door.”
WG APPROACH SHACKLES FARMERS
FUW Deputy President and dairy farmer Dai Miles said: “We welcome the news that the Programme Board has been established following the formation of the Technical Advisory Group earlier this year and that letters of appointment have been sent.
“With strong representation from farmers and industry bodies, including the FUW, the group will work closely with the Technical Advisory Group and provide strategic advice to Huw Irranca-Davies on the eradication of bovine TB in Wales.”
Dai Miles continued: “While we welcome Huw Irranca-Davies’s announcement, as cattle keepers, we continue to be shackled by this ongoing 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.
“As we continue to see a lack of clarity and leadership in dealing with this disease in wildlife, evidence from the first 52 badger cull areas in England shows that rates of bovine TB breakdowns in cattle are down by 56% on average after four years of culling. Farmers, as ambassadors of the countryside, also want to see healthy and prosperous wildlife populations here in Wales.
“Farming families hit by bovine TB on their farms are emotionally traumatised by this disease.
“Many of our members have spoken out publicly in recent months to raise awareness of the daunting effects this disease has had on their families, their businesses and their livestock.”
The Deputy President 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.”
FOLLOW THE SCIENCE
Andrew RT Davies MS, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “After more than two years since the TB advisory board was first announced and still no discernible action being taken, it is clear that eradicating this horrific disease isn’t a priority for Labour politicians.
“The track record of previous Labour Ministers is poor when it comes to understanding the disease, the impact on livestock and wildlife, and the human impact on farmers across Wales.
“When you look at the success across the border in the reduction of Bovine TB, I can only hope that the advisory group can convince the Welsh Government to follow the science and use all the tools available to eradicate this horrific disease.”
