Welsh farmers have welcomed recognition that a national co-ordination is required for BVD eradication, but stress that moves toward a legislative approach must be expedited or current gains would be lost.
The need for a Wales-wide legislative approach to BVD control was outlined in a recent written statement by the Welsh government.
The Minister for Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, said that a national co-ordination was required for widespread BVD eradication.
Wales' previous Gwaredu BVD scheme, which launched in 2017 but ended in December 2022, had seen over 83% of the cattle herds screened for BVD.
The voluntary programme had identified over 1,000 Persistently Infected (PI) animals in Wales.
However, the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) has warned that any gains made during the voluntary phase could be lost if there was a significant gap between the end of Gwaredu BVD and the onset of new legislation.
“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," said FUW deputy head of policy, Dr Hazel Wright.
"However, it now appears that there may be a lengthy transition phase as we move towards legislation and we are 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.
The FUW's response to the Welsh government’s consultation highlighted that a 'smooth and immediate transition' to legislation was required to maintain momentum.
The union said it was 'extremely frustrating' that the Gwaredu BVD scheme ended in December 2022 without any firm plans for the start of a legislative programme.
“Nevertheless, we will be using the transition phase to ensure that future BVD legislation is not overly burdensome or costly," Dr Wright said.
"We continue to seek clarity on several aspects of BVD legislation which were not fully addressed within the consultation."
