The Farmers’ Union of Wales has expressed concern that the level of bovine TB in Wales has risen over the last 12 months, despite the introduction of further cattle control measures in October last year.
Recent data from Defra has shown an increase in both the number of New Herd Incidents and the number of cattle slaughtered in Wales.
Ian Lloyd, FUW Animal Health and Welfare Committee Chairman, said: “Recent data has shown that in the 12 months to May 2018 there was a 4 percent increase in the number of New Herd Incidents and a 2 percent increase in the number of cattle slaughtered in Wales due to bovine TB.”
More than 10,000 cattle in Wales were slaughtered due to bovine TB control between May 2017 and May 2018.
Latest TB Dashboard data also shows that the number of TB free herds fell from 95.3 percent in quarter 3 of 2016 to 94.6 percent in the same quarter of 2017.
“Losing TB-free status is devastating to farming families and the restrictions imposed on breakdown farms can significantly hinder the ability of the business to operate.
