A position paper from the TB Programme Eradication Board in Wales has concluded that ‘a step change to the urgency and resources devoted to eradication is needed to meet the target for Wales to be Officially TB Free by 2041’.
The group also recommended that future TB policy must encompass a ‘comprehensive strategy based on scientific evidence and analysis’ that also considers addressing the disease across all its sources.
Current approach not working
The release of the position paper on Wednesday 11 March coincides with a Welsh Government written statement on its bovine TB eradication programme.
Although the government’s statement points to a fall in long-term decreases in new TB herd incidents, as well as updates on the positive impacts of measures implemented by Welsh Government following feedback from industry, NFU Cymru states that the overarching evidence and trajectory of data underlines that the current approach to eradicating Wales of TB is not working.
Policy changes
NFU Cymru President Abi Reader said: “Whilst it is encouraging that the statistics show the number of new breakdowns has fallen, we cannot lose sight of the number of farms which are operating under TB restrictions, the 12,493 animals slaughtered because of the disease in the year ending September 2025 and the farming families that continue to suffer because of this disease.
“The policy change to allow the delayed slaughter of reactor animals was something the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group lobbied for, so we are pleased to see the Deputy First Minister recognising the benefits that have been seen 12 months on from its implementation.
Likewise, the change to the treatment of inconclusive reactors is something we called for, viewing it as a sensible way of removing risky animals from the marketplace, thus limiting the onward spread of disease.
“NFU Cymru continues to play an active role on the TB Eradication Programme Board and we fully engage with the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), regularly providing evidence on a range of topics related to the TB control.
Clear message
The message from the programme board’s position paper released today is clear - we are not on track to meet the target set by a previous Welsh Government for Wales to be TB free by 2041.
For the farmers and their families who are dealing with TB on a daily basis, 2041 feels like a long time away and the fact the modelling suggests we will not meet this target, is further evidence that the current approach is not working.“In that respect, we agree with the programme board’s view that the next Welsh Government must look to introduce a step change in policy if we are to deliver the scale of progress that is required to give Welsh farmers hope that farming without TB is a realistic ambition.
Manifesto ask
Our NFU Cymru Senedd Election manifesto sets out our long-standing call for a comprehensive TB eradication strategy that tackles disease wherever it exists and we will be engaging with candidates on this basis in the run up to the election.
