Local Assembly Member Paul Davies has said that new statistics from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in relation to Bovine TB are alarming for the west Wales farming sector. The statistics show that West Wales saw an enormous 33% increase in the total number of animals slaughtered in the 12 months to August 2019 compared to the previous year. The research also shows that the number of new herd incidents of Bovine TB in the area fell by just 1% compared to the previous year, whilst at the same time the number of herds not officially TB free increased by 10%, from 331 herds to 363 herds.

Mr Davies said, “The latest statistics are particularly worrying for west Wales as they’re showing more and more cattle being slaughtered and as we know, this is wholly unsustainable for the Welsh cattle industry. Bovine TB is a devastating disease that has a huge impact both economically for farms affected, but emotionally too and so I’m deeply disappointed that the Welsh Government hasn’t done more to tackle this disease. Tackling Bovine TB must now be a priority for the Welsh Government, in order to protect the sustainability of the Welsh farming sector for the future. Sadly, if the Welsh Government doesn’t get a grip of this issue now, there will be catastrophic consequences for the future viability of our agricultural industry.”