Farmers have raised concerns after new figures show a record high in the number of cattle slaughtered in Wales due to bovine TB.
According to recent data, the number of cattle slaughtered in the 12 months to October 2019 was 12,742 - the highest number on record.
Whilst data reveals a 12% fall in new herd incidents, the number of cattle slaughtered over the same period was 24% higher than the previous year.
The Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) said while there has been improvement in some areas, slaughter figures remain 'unsustainably high'.
“Just 917 cattle were culled in 1996 due to this disease,” the union's president, Glyn Roberts explained.
“It is a sad and disturbing fact that the Welsh cattle sector has now become somewhat used to cattle slaughterings reaching the many thousands each year.”
Mr Roberts added that losing TB-free status is devastating to farming families and their businesses.
“The loss of precious stock and the restrictions on a farm business can be incredibly destructive.
“It is extremely distressing for our members who have worked hard to gain TB-free status, only to lose it again in the subsequent years,” he said.
“A TB breakdown is not only financially crippling for the farm, but also impacts more widely as struggling farm businesses are less able to contribute to both the local economy and further afield.”
High sensitivity testing, such as gamma testing and the removal of inconclusive reactors at severe interpretation, is blamed for some of this rise.
However, Mr Roberts said this will be of little comfort to Welsh farmers, many of whom have seen a huge number of cattle removed from their farm.
Farmers have frequently stressed the need for a review into the country's current bTB policy amid frustration that little is being done to address the disease reservoir in wildlife.
Despite evidence on the contribution of wildlife control to TB eradication in some places, the Welsh government's current programme focuses almost entirely on cattle controls.
The FUW said it continues to highlight farmers' concerns regarding the implementation of measures such as high sensitivity testing without measures to tackle the disease in wildlife.
“The number of cattle herds registered in Wales has declined by 43 per cent since 1996,” Mr Roberts added.
“Bovine TB is one of the most serious issues facing Welsh cattle farmers and a more holistic approach, which seriously tackles the wildlife reservoir, is required urgently.”
