As NFU Cymru state in their briefing to us, bovine TB is one of the biggest threats facing the Welsh cattle industry. They add that the historic failure of the Welsh Government to effectively tackle the disease in wildlife means that it continues to not only impact cattle keepers and their families, but also those further down the supply chain.

They state that bovine TB

‘is a complex disease that must be tackled in the round, including addressing wildlife disease reservoirs, if we are to stand any chance of eradicating the disease’.

We’ve heard already that new herd incidences recorded in Wales to June fell 16 per cent last year, but, in the equivalent period, the number of cattle slaughtered due to bovine TB rose 43 per cent. The Farmers’ Union of Wales added the statistic that the number of Welsh cattle slaughtered due to bovine TB in the 12 months to July 2016 represents a rise of more than 900 per cent over the last two decades. NFU Cymru state that the shelving of the Welsh Government’s vaccination programme due to a global vaccine shortage has created a policy vacuum, and the FUW president would like to remind all Assembly Members of how critical it is that Welsh Government implements a strategy that effectively tackles bovine TB in both cattle and wildlife, without which, they say, it’s hard to see how we can secure trade deals with European nations after Brexit—a point well-made by earlier speakers.

Speaking here seven years ago, I stated that the British Veterinary Association had said the

‘failure to tackle wildlife sources of TB infection has prolonged the presence of the disease in all affected species populations.’

Speaking here three years ago, I quoted the statement by the British Veterinary Association’s president at the annual Welsh dinner, which was that

‘we need all the tools in the toolbox to get on top of the disease, and that must include targeted, humane culling of badgers in certain circumstances’.

That was three years ago. A retired GP in Denbigh e-mailed, ‘Dead badgers are a common sight on the roadside. They remain for weeks. If these badgers carry TB, there must be a danger of transmitting the infection to cattle and other animals. Somebody should be responsible for removing dead badgers from the public highway.’

Now, the British Veterinary Association, or BVA, states that scientific evidence proves that badgers and cattle spread bTB to cattle. Their position supports a comprehensive approach to tackling bovine TB, based on the application of scientific research, coupled with the application of veterinary epidemiology. Control measures in cattle, they say, must occur alongside simultaneous and coordinated measures in badgers, other wildlife and susceptible farm species. They believe that slaughtering cattle that test positive for bovine TB is essential to control the disease in cattle, but has not been enough to get on top of the disease. Therefore they also believe that badger culling in a targeted, effective and humane manner is necessary in carefully selected areas. They state that vaccination of both cattle and badgers should play a central role in any bovine TB eradication policy, but its current role should not be overstated or exaggerated, adding that badger BCG vaccine is not proven to protect from infection, and has no impact on those infected prior to vaccination, and there is currently no licensed cattle vaccine, without which the UK could not trade live animals or animal products.