Welsh Conservative Shadow Farming Minister Andrew RT Davies has warned Plaid Cymru ministers a new strategy to tackle bovine tuberculosis must not be delayed.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Davies warned the disease is “causing misery in the farming industry, leading to suicides” because it had not been tackled.
He said it was illogical that previous ministers were not prepared to take out diseased wildlife, but they were prepared to take out diseased farm stock.
Mr Davies asked Farming Minister Llyr Gruffydd to confirm if a new strategy would be brought forward prior to the Royal Welsh Show in July.
In response, Mr Gruffydd said, “I don’t think we’ll see a strategy in the next few weeks”.
The new Plaid Cymru minister had previously warned “change is difficult” when outlining potential farming reforms.
Mr Davies said:
“Bovine TB is causing misery in the farming industry to the tragic extent that Welsh farmers are taking their own lives.
“A new approach – based on science not ideology – is required desperately.
“Welsh farmers cannot afford dithering from new Plaid Cymru ministers – it must be brought forward urgently.”
ENDS
NOTE: Please find below the Senedd record of proceedings from Wednesday 10th July
https://record.senedd.wales/Plenary/16073#C763248
Andrew R.T. Davies
14:44:38
Thank you, Minister. There are three parties in this Chamber who want to see a healthy wildlife population and a healthy farm population. It is vital that you encapsulate that support now and use that support to bring forward this new strategy. Twenty-seven years of doing nothing from the Labour Party has devastated the countryside. Don’t be a Minister who, in three and a half, four years’ time, looks back and hasn’t captured this support in this Chamber. Bring forward that strategy, and could you today give us an indication of when it’s going to arrive—is it before the Royal Welsh Show or in the autumn?
Llyr Gruffydd
14:45:14
I don’t think we’ll see a strategy within the next few weeks. I think there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on that and clearly there’s a lot of work to help people understand the nature of the problem that we’re trying to tackle here. But it’s absolutely very high up on our list, and I can give you my word that we will see movement on this front as soon as we can. But as I say, until I receive that advice from the programme board and the technical advisory group particularly, then I think it would be a bit premature of me to make any grand announcements at the minute.
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