20 June 2011

2 minute read

Europe

Stephen James, Deputy President of NFU Cymru said: “There was support, across the political spectrum, for the ‘One Wales’ commitment to eradicate bTB in Wales back in 2007 and subsequent votes in the National Assembly for Wales have endorsed this. That strategy included the need for a holistic approach. We look to the new Welsh Government to continue and progress their commitment and to now take tangible action with a view to eradicating this horrible disease.”

Mr James continued: “The majority of members of the last Assembly, many of whom have been returned to the new administration, resisted outside pressures and remained true to their original commitment to a holistic control strategy that involved a managed cull of badgers specifically in the IAA in addition to all the cattle controls that have already been put in place.

"The Welsh Government in its manifesto pledged to proceed on the basis of science the science hasn’t changed and I hope that next Tuesday, when the Minister for the Environment and Sustainability makes a statement to plenary that he will now recognise the need to press on with plans. There is ample evidence already in the public domain and readily available on the Welsh Government website.”

Mr James concluded, “Given the major hoops and hurdles our cattle farmers have already gone through to get on top of this disease in terms of increased cattle testing, movement controls and measures to reduce contact between cattle and wildlife, measures that affect every decision a farmers makes, I sincerely hope that their efforts will not have been in vain. Without a concurrent strategy to deal with the reservoir of disease in badgers, all this hard work will have been to little avail.”

TheCattleSite News Desk