Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:31 pm on 16 November 2021.
So, again, I don't think the Member's been listening because I've mentioned several times that we are working with DEFRA, with the Scottish Government, to bring forward a cattle vaccination. And, again, I mention that Glyn Hewinson always said to me he thought it was 10 years in advance, and he really believes, because DEFRA have now put emphasis on this, that we will have it by 2025. But, again, that won't be the one thing; it needs to be a suite of things. The TB eradication programme has brought improvement. I mentioned the figures in my statement. People don't seem to want to accept statistics, so I won't say it again.
Regarding on-farm slaughter, I absolutely agree with you how distressing that can be. I had representations made to me from the industry, and I thought it was really important that we looked to find a solution for on-farm slaughter. And we piloted—and you might be aware of this—farm euthanasia of TB cattle by a lethal injection. It did prove to be very difficult to deliver practically on the farm. You had to co-ordinate vet and haulier presence. There were some farmers who found that even more distressing, they told me, and they preferred to have their cattle shot. So, again, I think it is something that is down to personal choice for the farmer.
I also found that the pilot did cause delays in removing infected cattle. Of course, we know of the importance of doing that. So, we stopped the pilot after some consideration—I think it was in the summer of last year. I looked at England and what they were doing and they didn't seem to have the same issues that we did, but I think it's because they have extended the react-to-removal time. I think that's contrary to disease control, and certainly that was the advice that I was given by the chief veterinary officer. But I'm very open to look at what we can do, because I absolutely agree with you, that must be one of the most distressing things for a farmer.