The amount of bovine TB compensation paid to Welsh farmers has risen by 15 percent in just 12 months, new figures show.
Over £18.2m was paid in compensation to farmers in 2018/19 as a result of incidences of bovine TB.
In comparison, during 2017/18, £15.9m was paid out to Welsh farmers.
Andrew RT Davies AM, the Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, retrieved the information after tabling a Written Assembly Question (WAQ).
He said the figures highlight the Welsh government’s 'spectacular failure' to tackle and eradicate bovine TB.
“Compensation pay-outs are spiralling, and the costs of administering the wider scheme are also going upwards," he said.
"The action and measures Labour has implemented to date are letting down the farming community and wildlife population in Wales, and a lasting solution is overdue."
Over the past five years, compensation to farmers in Wales has totalled just under £74m.
Bbovine TB continues to severely impact farming families in the country, both emotionally and financially.
Latest statistics show that 12,360 cattle were slaughtered in Wales in the year to June 2019.
