Local Assembly Member Paul Davies has criticised the Welsh Government’s Bovine TB programme, after it was revealed that its five year vaccination trial could not be completed. The Deputy Minister for Farming and Food has confirmed that the badger vaccination programme has been suspended in Wales, following shortages of the BCG vaccine.

Mr Davies said, “The Welsh Government’s TB vaccination is a shambles and farmers in North Pembrokeshire have now been let down twice by a Government that simply doesn’t get rural Wales. Farmers deserve a far more detailed explanation from the Deputy Minister and, at the very least, more clarity on how long this ‘interruption’ will last.”

He added, “The Welsh Government must come clean and recognise that their policy simply isn’t working. At a time when farmers’ costs are spiralling and huge numbers of cattle continue to be slaughtered, Ministers must now engage with the farming industry on how best to tackle Bovine TB and implement a programme that will tackle this issue once and for all.”