Welsh Govt to reveal bTB plans
The Welsh Government will be revealing its bovine TB eradication programme next week. The long-awaited announcement will be made by Environment Minister John Griffiths during a scheduled answer in the Senedd to a Plaid Cymru question shortly before the Assembly breaks for the Easter Recess.
In anticipation of the announcement, a joint letter from NFU Cymru President Ed Bailey, CLA Wales Chairman Johnny Homfray and Farmers Union of Wales President Emyr Jones has been sent to the Minister in which the senders stress the importance of tackling TB in Welsh wildlife.
“While we would all wish to see the implementation of a vaccination policy which shown to be effective in the field, such a policy does not exist, and the only evidence suggests vaccination would be less effective than other approaches. Any decision to implement a policy which has not been shown in the field to reduce TB incidences in cattle herds, rather than a policy which has been shown to be successful, would mark a complete betrayal of the trust placed by farmers in the Welsh Government. The industry now looks to the Government to honour its pledge to eradicate the disease by including proven measures for dealing with disease in the badger population” reads the letter.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
