Can I also thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement this afternoon? I’d like to state for the record that my parents-in-law’s farm has been affected by bovine TB over the last 15 years, and I know from personal experience how devastating it is.

Whilst I welcome the Welsh Government’s consultation on its refreshed approach, the Cabinet Secretary will not be surprised to hear that I believe the measures included in the approach do not yet go far enough to eradicate this awful disease. I believe that a full holistic approach is now needed, which includes using all the tools in the box to eliminate bovine TB in both our cattle and wildlife populations. I’m extremely disappointed that today’s statement does not yet include a much more holistic approach to tackling this disease in our wildlife.

Indeed, the European Court of Auditors’ report into the eradication, control and monitoring programmes of animal diseases, published in April, recognised that more consideration was needed for bovine TB with targeted measures for wildlife. Therefore, my first question to the Cabinet Secretary is whether or not she accepts the findings of the commission. And, in line with that thinking, and in addition to monitoring developments in Northern Ireland, what other specific steps will she now take to eradicate bovine TB in the wildlife population? Indeed, perhaps the Cabinet Secretary will tell us how long the Welsh Government intends to monitor developments in Northern Ireland with vets and wildlife experts, or whether these developments will actually be part of the 12-week consultation.

There are also concerns regarding the testing of cattle, given the age and sensitivity of the current test. We know that the current test has a sensitivity range of 80 to 90 per cent, and so the Welsh Government must work with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the veterinary industry to re-evaluate whether the test is, indeed, fit for purpose or not. Today’s statement refers to the increased use of the gamma interferon test, but perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could tell us how the Welsh Government is assessing gamma interferon tests and antibody tests, and whether it’s her intention to see any other new testing procedures rolled out. Indeed, is there any scope within the consultation to look at testing procedures? I understand that, last year, the Cabinet Secretary invested in a gamma testing facility in Carmarthen, and perhaps she could update Members on that work.

I accept that previous Welsh Governments have supported a vaccination policy and I agree with today’s statement that vaccination still has a role to play. However, there is still much more work to be done to understand how much TB is actually spread from cattle to cattle, from cattle to badgers, and from badger to badger, which would undoubtedly impact the performance of any vaccine. I note from the statement today that the Cabinet Secretary has asked officials to engage with vets and wildlife experts to develop ways to break the transmission cycle. Therefore, can the Cabinet Secretary provide a little bit more detail about the type of engagement she wants to see?

Now, today’s statement also mentions a regional approach, with three categories of TB areas across Wales being assigned, based on incident levels, and that the Welsh Government is looking at different strategies for these different categories. Whilst I understand that a risk-based approach must be taken to reflect regional differences in terms of the prevalence of the disease, it’s also essential that any new area risk-based strategies are not disproportionate for farmers and that farmers are not facing impossibly stringent controls. Therefore, perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could tell us what measures will be deployed in each of the new category areas and how those measures will actually be proportionate for farmers.

Of course, as the statement recognises, increased biosecurity measures should be considered an essential part of any bovine TB strategy, and I hope the Welsh Government is not just providing more guidance and orders to farmers about on-farm and off-farm biosecurity, but providing additional financial support to offset any increased costs too. Indeed, could the Cabinet Secretary tell us if there will be an opportunity for farmers to apply for funding from the rural development programme for biosecurity tools, such as cattle-handling facilities and badger-proof feed troughs, for example?

Llywydd, I’ve been very clear that I want to see a strategy in place to tackle bovine TB that uses all of the tools at the Welsh Government‘s disposal. We must properly eradicate bovine TB in our wildlife population as well as our cattle population, and the only way to do that is to include a culling of infected badgers in a humane way. I note that she has not yet completely ruled that out in today’s statement. So, I welcome some of the measures in the Cabinet Secretary’s refreshed approach today, but I believe the Government’s approach does not yet go far enough. I want to make it clear to the Cabinet Secretary that we on this side of the Chamber will continue to scrutinise her policies in this area, and we will also continue to call for the Government to do the right thing by adopting a fully holistic approach to eradicating bovine TB once and for all. Thank you.