Welsh farm leaders have welcomed the announcement made by the Cabinet Secretary that he has appointed a new Welsh Government Bovine TB Programme Board.
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies has appointed a new board which will oversee and provide guidance to the government on their TB eradication programme.
Board members will be confirmed in due course, but the Cabinet Secretary said he intended for the Board to largely be made up of farmers from different parts of Wales and people from farming backgrounds. The Board will be chaired by a farmer.
Officials representing three, key industry organisations - the NFU Cymru, Farmers’ Union of Wales and the British Veterinary Association Welsh branch - will also be appointed.
The board will bring together representation from farmers and the veterinary profession to discuss eradicating the disease.
NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said it was welcome news, particularly following the appointment of the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group (TAG) earlier in the year.
"It is positive to see strong farmer and veterinary representation around the table, as it is farming families and their own private farm vets who are at the front line of dealing with this dreadful disease," he said.
“The board has incredibly important work to do in driving forward a route to eradication of this terrible disease, something the future generations of cattle farmers in Wales depend on."
In the period from April 2023 to March 2024, over 11,000 cattle were slaughtered because of bovine TB in Wales.
Mr Jones said this was 'a sobering statistic that we cannot allow to continue", adding the union "continue to call for a comprehensive disease eradication strategy that tackles this disease wherever it exists."
Three years ago, the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group was formed to help inform the union's views on TB policy and to identify where improvements could be made to policy without risking disease control.
Mr Jones concluded: "We stand ready to use our seat on the Programme Board to take forward the views of our membership to the board, whether those views be from farmers where TB is present on the farm or is threatening at the door.”
There will also be the Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales and a member representing the Welsh Government and the Animal and Plant Health Agency respectively.
