Union Calls for Cross-Party Bovine TB Debate
WALES, UK - The Farmers’ Union of Wales has called for a cross party debate at the Welsh Assembly for elected members to discuss the urgent need for a change to the current Bovine TB eradication programme.
5 September 2016
1 minute read
FUW President Glyn Roberts said: "The eradication of Bovine TB is uppermost in our concerns for a successful EU exit and subsequent trade deals.
"Our belief is that current levels of Bovine TB in Wales are in excess of what will be acceptable to other EU countries when we are outside the single market and our current status has the potential to be a challenging negotiation tool, especially given the the vacuum created by post vaccination failure.
"Stringent cattle controls and additional biosecurity cannot, in isolation, fully eradicate Bovine TB and there must be a change of policy to more thoroughly address the wildlife source of infection."
Alongside stressing the importance of maintaining good post Brexit trade relations, the FUW’s call for cross party action, possibly through an Individual Members debate, also asks Assembly Members to recognise that a Bovine TB breakdown can cause many indirect losses to farm businesses, such as the loss of breeding lines, and the Union therefore also calls for current cattle compensation levels to be protected.
TheCattleSite News Desk
