The Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) has welcomed recognition by the Minister for Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, that national level BVD control in Wales will require a compulsory programme but stresses that moves towards a legislative approach must be expedited or current gains will be lost.
The need for a legislative approach to BVD control was outlined in a written statement by the Welsh Government on the 31st January.
The FUW welcomes recognition by the Minister that national coordination is required for widespread BVD eradication. However, the FUW has been clear from the start of the voluntary RDP funded Gwaredu BVD programme that any gains made during the voluntary phase could be lost if there is a significant gap between the end of the voluntary programme and the onset of legislation.
The Gwaredu BVD scheme, which was launched in 2017, has seen over 83% of the cattle herds in Wales screened for BVD and has identified over 1,000 Persistently Infected animals.
The FUW has been clear that a ‘no-gap’ scenario is the best and most efficient way to transition between a voluntary phase and a legislative approach to national BVD eradication. However, it now appears that there may be a lengthy transition phase before the move towards legislation and the FUW is concerned that this will lead to a decline in the level of annual screens being conducted.
According to the summary of responses to the Welsh Government’s consultation to introduce a BVD Eradication Scheme almost 90% of respondents agreed with the introduction of BVD legislation in Wales.
In the FUW response to the Welsh Government’s consultation, it was made extremely clear that a smooth and immediate transition to legislation was required to maintain momentum. It is therefore extremely frustrating that the Gwaredu BVD scheme ended in December 2022 without any firm plans for the start of a legislative programme.
Nevertheless, the FUW will be using the transition phase to ensure that future BVD legislation is not overly burdensome or costly and continue to seek clarity on several aspects of BVD legislation which were not fully addressed within the consultation. As part of the FUW’s commitment to BVD eradication in Wales the FUW will continue to work with the Welsh Government to ensure that any future programme is both effective and proportionate.
Although the funding for free youngstock testing and PI hunts has ended, the FUW is advising members to continue screening for BVD during the transition phase. This is the best way to protect herds against BVD and will help cattle keepers be prepared for a future legislative control programme.