New FUW animal welfare chief has bovine TB in his sights

THE Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has appointed a Ceredigion beef farmer as its new animal health and welfare committee chairman at a recent meeting in Aberystwyth.

Ian Lloyd farms 115 acres at Hafan Hedd, Beulah, just outside Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion, and runs a herd of 25 Aberdeen Angus suckler cows, 25 calves and 27 yearlings.

Mr Lloyd thanked previous chair Dr Catherine Nakielny for her hard work and said: “Animal health and welfare is a topic I care deeply about, and I look forward to assisting the FUW in making progress in the many areas this committee encompasses.

“Despite copious eradication programmes over the years, bovine TB continues to cause both emotional and financial difficulties, bringing many farming families to their knees, and it will remain a key subject for this committee.

“We know that the current levels of bovine TB in Wales are in excess of what will be acceptable to other EU countries when the UK is outside the Single Market and we are deeply concerned that the current disease status has the potential to be a challenging negotiation tool.

“The new regional approach, launched in October this year, is incredibly complex and divisive and has huge potential to reduce incomes by causing a two-tier market for cattle. Of course, the FUW opposed this regional approach and time will tell whether or not this strategy has made any meaningful impact on bovine TB levels in Wales.

“I would also like to urge Welsh farmers to make sure they attend the bovine TB roadshows organised by the FUW, in co-operation with APHA, to ensure that they are familiar with the new rules and regulations.”