The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed the news that bovine TB vaccine trials are due to begin shortly in England and Wales. The trials form part of a longer-term strategy towards possible vaccine rollout by 2025 and will be conducted over the next 4 years on behalf of the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government and Defra.

Dr Hazel Wright, FUW Senior Policy Officer, said: “Bovine TB continues to be one of the most significant issues facing cattle keepers in Wales, with more than 12,000 cattle slaughtered in 2019 due to this disease.   Losing TB-free status is devastating to farming families and their businesses and the restrictions on a farm business can be emotionally and financially destructive.”  

The current Welsh bovine TB eradication programme target for TB freedom is 2041.  However, much of the current TB eradication programme is reactive and removes animals from the farm after they have contracted the disease.  Vaccination, in combination with a usable DIVA test, can act as a preventative measure and could play a vital role in disease eradication. 

“The start of vaccine trials represents many years of research and development into bovine TB vaccines and diagnostic tests.  We hope to be informed as the research continues and we will await the results of the trial with great interest. 

“Cattle vaccination continues to be one of the tools in the tool box that have, so far, been unavailable to our members and we welcome the news that work on this aspect of bovine TB control is moving forward. However, vaccination is not a silver bullet and it remains just one method of bovine TB control.  We continue to support an holistic approach to bovine TB control in Wales which is guided by science and not politics,” added Dr Wright. 

Wales’ Farming Unions - NFU Cymru and the Farmers’ Union of Wales- held a successful joint virtual roundtable meeting with the UK's High-Level Climate Action Champion, Nigel Topping.

In addition to wider discussions around climate change, the roundtable event provided a platform to discuss the “Race to Zero” campaign, an international campaign for a healthy, resilient zero carbon recovery, which was launched on World Environment Day, and will run up to COP26 . 

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is warning the agriculture industry not to be complacent when it comes to keeping safe on farms. The latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show a reduction in farm fatalities, highlighting that 18 less people have lost their lives last year and 9 less than the 5-year average (30).

Whilst this is the lowest number of deaths recorded in the last 5 years, there were still 21 deaths, including 3 in Wales. Half of the workers killed were aged 55 years or older and the youngest person killed was a 4-year old child.

While the number of deaths by each cause varies each year, the 5 most common remain as:

• Struck by moving vehicles
• Fall from height
• Struck by an object
• Killed by animals
• Contact with machinery 

Responding to the latest statistics, FUW President Glyn Roberts, said: “Whilst this is a welcome reduction in fatalities, we still haven’t reached zero and just one death is one too much. There are still too many people dying on farms across the UK, and I urge the industry not be complacent - your safety and that of your family is hugely important. 

“Whichever way you look at it, we still have serious Health and Safety challenges on our farms: Over the last twenty years, other industries such as construction and quarrying have greatly improved their safety records, while unfortunately farming has not. It is frightening that you are, despite everything, six times more likely to be killed on a farm than you would on a building site.”

As part of the virtual Royal Welsh Show, the Farmers’ Union of Wales is hosting a seminar to explore the lessons the Coronavirus pandemic has taught us when it comes to food and our supply chains, what measures need to be put in place to safeguard food producers and consumers and examine if local strategies with a global outlook are the key to food security.

Joining the virtual conversation on Tuesday 21 July are Carmarthen County Council Corporate Policy & Partnership Manager, Gwyneth Ayers;  Principal Investigator of IKnowFood Professor Bob Doherty; Cardiff University Professor of Governance and Development Kevin Morgan and Food and Drink Wales Deputy Head of Food David Morris.  

FUW President Glyn Roberts, who is chairing the event, said: “The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Welsh food producers and the dangers of trade and rural support policies which undermine UK food security have starkly come to the fore over recent months.

“Covid-19 hit all sectors of life and was met with panic buying and empty supermarket shelves. However, it wasn’t luxury items that the general public rushed to get their hands on but the essentials like food. 

“For many years the FUW has stressed that food security is an issue that needs desperate attention and the last few months have served to illustrate such concerns. I therefore look forward to discussing these and some other very pertinent issues with our panel of experts and hope many of you will join us online for this webinar.”

The Farmers’ Union of Wales made a commitment at the Royal Welsh Show in 2017 to keep the spotlight on mental health issues for as long as it remains a problem in rural communities. Approaching the fourth year of awareness raising and doing everything it takes to help break the stigma, the Union is keeping the conversation going - online. 

FUW deputy president Ian Rickman said: “Under normal circumstances we would have held a seminar at the Royal Welsh Show, but given the circumstances - the conversation is moving online. We will be hosting a virtual seminar, where we explore what has changed, how far we have come and what issues still remain. I hope many of you will be joining us on the night to discuss the issue and share your experiences.” 

Titled ‘Mental Health- how are you doing?’, the event, as part of the virtual Royal Welsh Show, is screened on Thursday 23 July at 7pm.

Joining the panel are Emma Picton-Jones, founder of the DPJ Foundation, David Williams, Wales Regional Director for the Farming Community Network, Gareth Davies,Chief Executive Office, Tir Dewi and Suzy Deeley, Corporate Partnership Manager at RABI.

Speaking about the mental health situation in rural communities ahead of the event, David Williams, Wales Regional Director, Farming Community Network said: “Conversations around mental health are challenging, and in the farming community in particular, it can be especially difficult to open up about what you may be experiencing. Many of the common signs of mental ill-health can be missed when farmers are spending significant periods of time alone working and for long hours of the day. 

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is looking forward to a busy virtual Royal Welsh Show, with a host of seminars focussing on food supply chains, rural connectivity, the insurance sector, mental health and knowledge exchange opportunities.

Speaking ahead of the event, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “We are delighted to be a part of the virtual show. The Royal Welsh Show has always been the pinnacle event in the farming calendar and whilst things are not happening the way they normally would this year, we applaud the Show for its progressiveness in taking the event into the virtual world.

“Throughout the week the Union is hosting a variety of seminars, just like we would during the show and I’m looking forward to the wide range of conversations that are going to take place online.I hope many of you will be able join us and take part.”

Seminars arranged by the FUW and joining details are: