West Wales is the country's TB hotspot

Figures released today by NFU Cymru at the United Counties Show reveal that West Wales is the country's TB 'hotspot' as the area has the highest number of cattle herds under restriction due to TB incidents.

With over 8% of cattle herds in the old Dyfed area under restriction due to testing positive for Bovine Tuberculosis NFU Cymru is looking to the Welsh Assembly Government to move forward work with the agricultural community to set up Intensive Treatment and Research areas as soon as is possible to tackle the issue of TB in livestock and wildlife.

The figures, calculated using data from the TB Data Warehouse, show that the average number of farms in Wales with cattle herds under restriction between January and May 2005 was 841, which is 5.5%. With 8.5% West Wales is much higher than the Welsh average.

NFU Cymru welcomes the work the Welsh Assembly Government has done very recently to set up a TB helpline to assist farmers whose herds have been placed under restrictions. But, as Dai Davies, Vice President from St Clears, whose had experience of the disease says, "We welcome the work being done by the Welsh Assembly but the setting up of this helpline is a sad reflection of the fact that this is the most important problem affecting cattle at the moment in Wales and particularly in west Wales."

Mr Davies continued, "This is a horrific disease and we must find solutions to contain and eradicate it and stop the emergence of new TB hotspots in Wales. We appreciate the work done by the Welsh Assembly Government on this issue and in particular Tamsin Dunwoody-Kneafsey AM who is Chairman of the TB Action Group."

NFU Cymru is part of the Welsh TB Action Group and continually highlights the escalating incidences of Bovine TB and the very serious implications for thousands of farmers.