The release of the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs (ETRA) Committee’s report today (Friday 20th May) follows a short inquiry into Welsh Government’s proposals for ‘Refreshing Wales’ Bovine TB Eradication Programme’. NFU Cymru has previously submitted both written and oral evidence to the inquiry.
Roger Lewis, Pembrokeshire NFU Cymru Chairman and Chairman of the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group gave evidence to the inquiry on behalf of NFU Cymru. He said:
NFU Cymru is pleased that by undertaking this inquiry the ETRA Committee has recognised that this is a subject of upmost importance to Welsh cattle keepers. We hold concerns about a number of the proposals put forward by Government which we have outlined in our response to the Welsh Government consultation and in our evidence to the ETRA inquiry, most notably in relation to possible changes to the compensation scheme.
“A move away from the current TB compensation system based on individual valuations to a system based on tabular valuations would be devastating for our industry. A tabular valuation system would have no way of distinguishing an animal’s individual merits and as a system based on averages, it would be as likely to overvalue as undervalue stock. NFU Cymru’s preferred compensation payment regime is the one that is in place now, where a trained professional provides a value for individual animals.
"Farmers in Wales comply with the most stringent TB regime in the world and make every effort to control the disease. Between the end of December 2020 and 2021 over 10,500 animals were slaughtered in Wales as result of bovine TB. Shockingly, between 2010 and 2020 inclusive over 100,000 animals have been slaughtered in Wales because of bovine TB."
The fewer animals that need to be slaughtered because of bovine TB the lower the cost to industry and government. The only route to achieving this is through a comprehensive TB eradication strategy that tackles the disease in both cattle and wildlife populations. However, Welsh Government is the only government in the world that feels that it can eradicate bovine TB just by tackling the disease within the bovine population. In this respect, NFU Cymru is pleased that the ETRA Committee has called for more work to be done to understand the transmission between cattle and wildlife and within the wildlife population.
“We agree with the ETRA Committee’s recommendation that Welsh Government should follow a co-production route when developing policy around bovine TB eradication. The farming industry is passionate about the eradication of this disease and Welsh Government must treat farmers and the wider industry as their equal partners. There is evidence from around the world that when government and industry work together real progress can be made, but there must be a commitment to tackle the disease wherever it exists – whether that be in cattle or the wildlife.”