FARMING unions in Wales have focussed on the need to tackle TB in the wildife population in their responses to the Welsh Government consultation on tackling bovine TB.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has rejected proposals to split Wales into five bovine TB regions.

The Welsh Government proposes splitting Wales into two high, two intermediate and one low TB level regions, with different rules applying in each region. The proposals would mean a heightening of Wales’ cattle TB rules, which are already amongst the strictest in the world.

As part of its formal response, NFU Cymru said it could not accept further cattle controls without action also being taken to actively address the disease in wildlife.

It made it clear to the Welsh Government that farmers across Wales are ‘as frustrated as they have ever been’ with the impact bovine TB is having on Wales.

Following a consultation with its 12 county branches, the majority of FUW members rejected the proposals, highlighting the need for meaningful controls which address transmission of the disease from badgers to cattle.

FUW TB Spokesman Brian Walters said: “The consultation paper acknowledges that the level of disease found in badgers in Wales is 6.6 percent, around 1420% higher than the level found in cattle - which is 0.4 percent.

“Members made it clear that the proposal to split Wales up into five regions and further add to what are already the strictest TB controls in Europe would only make sense if badger numbers were reduced in the areas where they are passing the disease on to cattle.”

Among the proposals consulted upon by the Welsh Government was the adoption of a New Zealand type ‘informed purchasing’ approach to cattle trading, but during a recent Welsh Assembly Climate Change Committee hearing Dr Paul Livingstone, who previously led New Zealand’s successful eradication programme, said nothing was being done in Wales about the disease in badgers, describing the issue as ‘the elephant in the room’.

“A New Zealand type approach is one the Welsh farming industry would fully support, because it is a genuine partnership between government and farmers in which politicians recognise the need to cull wildlife to control TB.

“Without that commitment by Welsh politicians we will never achieve the success seen in New Zealand, Australia and other countries which have implemented successful eradication programmes by tackling the disease in both cattle and wildlife,” added Mr Walters.

In its response to the consultation, NFU Cymru has voiced a number of concerns over the six-monthly testing period proposed for high TB areas, including increased costs, health and safety concerns, and the increased likelihood that tests will fall at inconvenient times, such as harvest or when cattle are heavily pregnant or calving.

While NFU Cymru is generally supportive of targeting controls and actions that are specific to the disease prevalence in the local area, the Union’s members are clear that any zoning of Wales into TB areas should not take place until the current County Parish Holding (CPH) rationalisation programme is complete, so as not to add further complication and confusion to livestock movement rules.

During the consultation exercise a range of issues around the proposals have been raised which NFU Cymru believes require further consideration. It is the Union’s belief that these issues require further discussion with representatives of the industry, including vets and livestock auctioneers.

NFU Cymru president Stephen James said: “Since coming into post, the Cabinet Secretary has taken the time to speak with the Union and farmers to fully understand the bovine TB situation. We welcome the opportunity that the consultation provides for the industry to have its say on this important matter.

“NFU Cymru’s comprehensive consultation response is based on feedback following county meetings, national commodity board meetings and individual feedback received from members. All the feedback we have received shares one common theme – an overwhelming frustration that bovine TB continues to wreak havoc for farming businesses and families across Wales, while the reservoir of disease in wildlife remains unaddressed.