AMs press for "decisive action" on Bovine TB

(Pic : The Guardian)

The issue of precisely how to deal with Bovine tuberculosis is one of the longest-running sagas in post-devolution Wales, and something that has become a serious threat to the livelihoods of dairy and beef farmers, even if they're compensated for the loss of livestock.

The main controversy – as I'm sure everyone reading this knows – is whether badgers (the main culprit in the spread of the disease to cattle herds) should be culled or vaccinated.

Due to a worldwide shortage of the BCG vaccine, the prospect of a badger cull – which the Assembly voted in favour of in 2010 and 2011, but was suspended in 2012 – is back on the table.

The vaccine shortage also meant the Welsh Government had to suspend the vaccination programme towards the end of 2015. So at the moment there's some confusion over where policy is going to go next, with the Welsh Government due to make a statement on this in October.

The motion - which was tabled by and supported by no fewer than 14 AMs - called for the Welsh Government to take "decisive action" on Bovine TB by committing to use "the most effective measures" to control the disease and ensuring that control and movement restrictions are proportionate in areas that are impacted.

Before I move to the debate itself, there was a technical fault with the Senedd TV feed so there'll be no video and I've had to do this the old school way.

Starting things off, Shadow Secretary for Sustainability and Rural Affairs, Simon Thomas AM (Plaid, Mid & West Wales) was pleased the debate was supported by all opposition parties, stressing the importance of a picture of what's happening on the ground being put before the Senedd.

A recent Welsh Government-commissioned paper on animal health specifically requested a TB eradication programme through a combination of difference measures aimed at all sources of the disease, whether in herds or wildlife. Although the number of herds affected has reduced, 56% of dairy herds are affected by some sort of restriction and the number of "intensive action areas" has increased. Of the £100million in compensation paid to farmers, a significant amount of this will be in Wales – so there's an impact on taxpayers.

Simon then mentioned Brexit, as the TB programme is funded to a certain extent by the EU Commission, once Brexit happens there'll be questions over Wales' trade status as WTO rules allow limits on exports due to disease. Huw Irranca-Davies AM (Lab, Ogmore) intervened to say he's heard concerns from local farmers and that it was vital to ensure that what applies to them now continues to apply after Brexit – a sentiment Simon agreed with, but something he wasn't sure was guaranteed.

Simon believes there was a moral argument as to whether we should be using a limited supply of the BCG vaccine when children in Africa still suffer from widespread TB. The cull of cattle also has to be mentioned alongside the cull of badgers – 117,771 cows over the last ten years.

Joyce Watson AM (Lab, Mid & West Wales) said she has always approached the subject from evidence-based position, pointing to the 1997 independent Krebs report (pdf), which concluded there was a "lack of evidence" on whether badger culls would halt the spread of TB. A randomised badger cull was carried out, lasting a decade, and the conclusions were that a cull would "make no meaningful contribution to TB control".

An excessive badger cull could lead to local extinction – as has happened in parts of the Republic of Ireland. Also, the humane method of culling – trapping and shooting – pushes up costs considerably. She described the English cull as an "unmitigated disaster and financial black hole", calling for Welsh Government to "stick with the science".

Neil Hamilton AM (UKIP, Mid & West Wales) said it was right to point to cull of cattle in order to put the issue in context. Other species have been "naturally culled" by the expansion of wild badgers, such as hedgehogs, toads, snakes and slow worms. The cattle slaughter figures were "dreadful", increasing by 55% in Pembrokeshire alone and 129% in the Vale of Clwyd. Due to the aforementioned lack of vaccine, the Welsh Government now "has no policy". Also, the cost of vaccination was significant – up to £825 per badger. It wasn't humane to have a policy that doesn't work and he called for us to be "less squeamish" about our approach to the problem.

Mark Isherwood AM (Con, North Wales) started with a dire warning from NFU Cymru that Bovine TB was "one of the biggest threats facing the Welsh cattle industry". They also believe the shelving of the vaccine programme has left a "policy vacuum" and without decisive action it could make post-Brexit trade deals more difficult. He then cited the British Veterinary Association who believe mitigation measures should be pursued in both cattle and badgers – including the slaughter of cattle infected with TB and the humane slaughter of badgers in carefully selected areas, though whilst acknowledging problems in testing badgers.

Llyr Gruffydd AM (Plaid, North Wales) was worried politicians were becoming desensitised to the issue because few of them have a close understanding of the areas affected by the disease. Coming from a farming background himself he has first hand experience of what a TB diagnosis in a herd does, and he found "no comfort" in the statistics. He pointed to the effectiveness of badger culls, where there's been a 53% decline in new TB cases in England and somewhere between 60-96% decline in the Republic of Ireland. Australia and New Zealand also controlled the disease by managing it in wildlife. It was time for bravery from the Welsh Government in pursuing a badger cull.

Chair of the Assembly's Environment Committee, Mark Reckless AM (UKIP, South Wales East), doesn't have a strong view for or against a badger cull and voted against a cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire, but believes there was far more optimism around vaccination as a solution then as there is now. He called for a more balanced perspective on the way forward in order to take in new evidence as it emerges.

Russell George AM (Con, Montgomery) wanted to focus on the impact on farmers, particularly as it's a unique business in that whole families are involved and there are no set hours. A farmer recently contacted his office in tears. He read from a letter which described having to slaughter cows who've been marked with TB within seven days of giving birth to a calf. Farmers "don't seek to have wildlife culled for the sake of it", with Russell calling for all options to be considered.

Caroline Jones AM (UKIP, South Wales West) doesn't believe culling badgers will control TB, saying scientific evidence shows that most transmission is cattle-to-cattle, and suggested that badgers would have to be completely eradicated in Great Britain to prevent a rise in TB infections. She described the culling measures as inhumane; the only method to control the disease was improved biosecurity and vaccination.

Replying on behalf of the Welsh Government, Environment & Rural Affairs Secretary, Lesley Griffiths (Lab, Wrexham), confirmed an updated statement will be given in October, and refreshing the Bovine TB programme was one of her top priorities when appointed to the cabinet position.

The Secretary supports effective evidence-based measures that are most appropriate to the risk level in an area – without expanding further. She also wanted to assure the farming community that their concerns have been listened to.

An increase in the number of cattle slaughtered wasn't an indication that the disease was on the rise, as it's down to increased positive tests in herds that have already been infected (due to improved blood tests) so they're not new incidents. Government officials are also surveying dead badgers to determine the level of TB in badger populations – the provisional infection rate so far is 7%.

Summing up the debate, Paul Davies AM (Con, Preseli Pembs.) said it was about getting a message across to the Welsh Government that cattle measures alone won't restrict the disease; he was pleased the Secretary said the disease needed to be addressed in both cattle and wildlife populations, but still thinks that since the Assembly election there's been "no clear direction" from government.

The motion was approved unanimously.