Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans has visited the farm of Peredur Hughes, Chair of the Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group, to see how biosecurity measures installed are reducing the risk of introducing infectious diseases.
During the visit to his farm on Anglesey yesterday, Peredur showed the Deputy Minister measures in place to protect their livestock including double fencing on a number of his fields to prevent nose to nose contact with neighboring cattle and sheep.
Rebecca Evans said: “Biosecurity is our first line of defence against introducing any disease including serious notifiable diseases. Therefore, good biosecurity should be part of everyday life on farms, helping animals to stay healthy and business profitable.
"Good biosecurity and health planning helps farmers to minimize the risk of introducing disease onto their farm and should the worst happen enables them more easily to manage and control the disease and prevent its spread.
“I am grateful to Peredur for showing me the steps he and his son have in place to protect their stock from disease.”
Peredur Hughes said: “One of the most important biosecurity practices we have is to make sure that when either cattle or sheep are brought on to our holding they are kept in isolation from other animals on the farm for a minimum of two weeks, and we always check the health status of the farm they come from.
“Every farmer should establish good biosecurity and effective contingency planning as part of a broader health plan. This should include making informed purchasing decisions, ensuring appropriate quarantine and integration of incoming livestock, and avoiding introduction of infection through visitors and deliveries to the farm.
“Improved biosecurity will reduce the possibility of bringing disease on farm and making them more profitable and resilient to the losses caused by disease outbreaks.”
Peredur has farmed on Anglesey for over 50 years where he and his son Llyr run a 180 hectare mixed beef and sheep farm which carries a suckler herd of 110 mainly Limousin cross cows and 650 sheep. 26 hectares of cereals are also grown for use on the farm.
The Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group and the Welsh Government want to raise awareness of good biosecurity and have produced a short survey to assess the current level of understanding amongst farmers. The findings from this survey will assist us in considering the areas where improvements in both understanding and uptake can be made in the longer term.
