More cattle have been slaughtered in Wales due to bovine TB over the last five years than the total reported population of badgers, a farming union has said.
Welsh farmers have 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.
But the Welsh government has consistently ruled out following the strategy employed in England to actively remove the disease from the wildlife population.
It comes as bovine 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.
The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has now raised the concerns with Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford and rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths.
The focus of the meeting was to gain a commitment from the Welsh government for a new approach to managing the scourge of TB.
The union said the current management plans were providing limited, if any, success.
FUW president Glyn Roberts said: “Farmers need hope, hope that this dreadful disease will be dealt with and removed from our landscape.
“To that end we asked the first minister to consider funding a thoroughly innovative approach that takes best practice from other areas of society facing big challenges.”
Mr Roberts proposed a new industry-led approach using big-data, similar to what is currently being used by emergency forces when dealing with crime prediction and ambulance placement.
“Both forecast what might happen by analysing vast amounts of data. Whilst it may seem far-fetched that you can predict crime, it appears that this is truly possible,” he said.
“And that gives us hope that we can find a new way to defeat TB, provided we look at a truly innovative approach.”
The meeting comes in light of new research which shows badger culling significantly reduces number of outbreaks in cattle.
