Headline figures
- In the 12 months to June 2022, there were 648 new herd incidents reported in Wales. This is a 2% increase on the previous 12 months, when there were 635 new incidents
- In the 12 months to June 2022, 9,712 cattle were slaughtered due to bovine TB control. This is a 15.8% decrease on the previous 12 months, when 11,536 cattle were slaughtered
- Overall herd prevalence remained at 5.2% (herd prevalence is defined as the percentage of all registered herds which were not Officially TB Free (OTF) due to a TB incident)
NFU Cymru response
NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “The latest bovine TB statistics released by the Welsh Government show a mixed picture across Wales.
“Whilst we can take some comfort in the fact there has been a 16% reduction in the number of animals slaughtered in the year up until the end of June 2022, there were still a staggering 9,712 animals slaughtered in these 12 months. We’re also concerned to see the number of herd incidents has risen by 2% over the same period.
“Bovine TB causes not only financial, but emotional pressures on families right across Wales. It must be remembered that behind every statistic there is a farming family dealing with the heartbreak of losing their animals to this horrendous disease.
“Our NFU Cymru TB focus group delivered a set of recommendations to the Minister earlier this year which focused on a series of key themes that included improving communication to farmers; the importance of AFUs and orange markets as an avenue of sale for those farms under restriction; biosecurity; testing and the sharing of data. We stand ready to work with Welsh Government to deliver a comprehensive TB eradication strategy for Wales, one which ensures we can get rid of this disease wherever it exists, for good.”