8. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the Welsh Government's TB compensation policy on farmers? OQ57019

Welsh farmers receive full market value for cattle removed under the TB eradication programme. I will be making an oral statement next month regarding a refreshed programme for TB eradication in Wales. Arrangements for making TB payments to farmers will feature in that statement.

Thank you. Two thousand, nine hundred and ninety cattle were slaughtered in the second quarter of this year, pushing the number of animals killed due to bovine TB to 6,175. Now, through me helping one of my constituents, where they are struggling with a bTB breakdown, you wrote to me advising, and I quote, that valuations do not have to be agreed by the farmer and the market value cannot be appealed. Welsh Government guidance notes on TB compensation state, 

'The market value of an animal slaughtered for TB will be paid as compensation in most cases.'

What is unfair, though, is the cap on compensation being £5,000, because this particular farmer has some that are worth considerably more thousands than five. He shows them as well, you see. So, a pedigree bull could easily be worth well over £5,000. So, Minister, would you have a look again at the cap and extend that right to allow farmers to appeal, to challenge that value given to them? They're already devastated at the time of slaughter, but let's make sure that they get true and equal compensation. Diolch. 

Thank you, and I am aware that you wrote to me last week again, I think about the same farmer. I will ensure you get a response by next week. 

Animal owners are paid compensation, as you know, and it is really important that we strive to ensure that the payment policy is fair not just to the animal owner, or to the farmer in this instance, but also to the taxpayer, because obviously that is public money. And I know, it's inevitable, isn't it, there'll be occasions when the owner is not satisfied with the valuation given. But I have to say, complaints are rare. We do intend to consult on changing the way that we pay compensation, and I think, as part of my oral statement and looking at a refreshed programme in relation to TB eradication, this is something that we should certainly look at. I think it's the appropriate time to review those arrangements. 

I should say, to establish the market value of an animal, a fully trained and experienced valuer must determine, by valuing the animal concerned on-farm, the price that the animal might reasonably obtain if it was for sale on the open market and was not affected by or exposed to TB. You mentioned compensation being capped at £5,000 for high-value animals, and I brought this in when we refreshed the TB eradication programme last time. And the advice at that time was, if you have cattle—and you referred to the fact that your constituent shows his cattle—it might be better then to look at insurance, because obviously the cap is £5,000.