On Friday 17 May, the Cabinet Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies confirmed that he will accept the recommendations in full from the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group’s (TAG) regarding the on-farm slaughter of TB reactors. He has confirmed that farmers will be able to choose to delay the slaughter of heavily pregnant bTB reactor animals until after calving. Alongside this, there will be the option to delay reactor removal if the animal is very close to the end of a drug withdrawal period. In addition, a working group, which will include representatives from farming and the veterinary profession, will be created to explore further policy changes related to the on-farm slaughter of reactor animals, including those that are within a medicine withdrawal period.
In response to the announcement, NFU Cymru TB Focus Group Chairman Roger Lewis said: “The on-farm slaughter of bTB reactors causes untold distress to farming families across Wales and the emotional impact on those involved cannot be underestimated. It is therefore welcome news that the Cabinet Secretary has listened to our concerns and has accepted the recommendations from the Bovine TB TAG to make changes to this policy.
Recommendations
“In the evidence we put forward to the Bovine TB TAG on this area, we set out five recommendations developed by the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group. These five recommendations sought to minimise the practise wherever possible and encouraged Welsh Government to look at alternative approaches which could be employed to reduce the policy’s traumatic impact, without risking disease control. It is welcome to see Welsh Government commit to progressing all five areas we suggested, albeit on varying timescales.
“In the short term, we are pleased to see the Cabinet Secretary agree that farmers should have the choice to delay, subject to biosecurity conditions being met, the slaughter of heavily pregnant animals until after they have calved. The feedback we received from members up and down Wales unanimously confirms that it is the on-farm slaughter of these animals that cause the most distress. We now urge the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to implement and deliver this policy change without delay to minimise any further suffering.
Flexibility
“Reducing the number of reactor animals slaughtered on farm because they are within a drug withdrawal period is an area the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group believes we can make real progress on. We believe it is a sensible decision from the Cabinet Secretary to allow the flexibility that a farmer, in consultation with their own private vet and APHA case vet, can delay reactor removal in cases where animals are very close to the end of the withdrawal period.
“Today is only the first step, NFU Cymru stands ready to engage further with Welsh Government and the wider industry as part of the working group announced by the Cabinet Secretary today, to consider other ways of reducing the number of bTB reactors slaughtered on Welsh farms.
Devastating impact of this bTB
“The policy changes announced by the Cabinet Secretary today are welcome, but we must recognise the devastating impact that this dreadful disease continues to have. On-farm slaughter is only part of the picture. In Wales we continue to see around 10,000 cattle slaughtered annually because of bovine TB and in 2023, we saw more farms operating under TB restrictions and more new breakdowns than in the previous year. NFU Cymru is grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for listening to our concerns about the issue of on-farm slaughter but continues to call for a comprehensive eradication strategy that deals with the disease wherever it exists.”