Farming unions raise concerns over Wales' bluetongue stance
FARMING unions have expressed 'disappointment' and 'concern' at the Welsh Government's decision not to impose restrictions on livestock movement amid the spread of the bluetongue virus.
Multiple outbreaks in England saw the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announce last month that the restricted zone for bluetongue will be extended to cover all of England from July 1.
Farmers will be able to move animals within England without a bluetongue licence or test but with Wales not imposing restrictions having not seen a confirmed case, limits are to be placed on moving livestock from England.
Cattle, sheep and goats will need to test negative for the potentially fatal disease before they can be transported across the border.
This led to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) announcing this week that English and Scottish livestock exhibitors will not be allowed to compete at this year's Royal Welsh Show in July.
Farming organisations in Wales had urged Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies to align with England to prevent restrictions on livestock movements.
However, the cabinet secretary for rural affairs, said his decision was made in an 'attempt to hold back the disease for as long as we can', adding he could not 'in all conscience invite bluetongue into Wales' by aligning with England.
A specific movement licence will be administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), while England's focus will shift to encouraging uptake of new vaccines which alleviate the symptoms.
'The current RZ approach in England has helped keep bluetongue away from the Welsh border," Mr Irranca-Davies said. "I regret the current RZ cannot be maintained but understand the reasons behind its expansion to the whole of England.
'In practical terms, it means we will lose the security of having a two-county buffer between potentially infected livestock in England and the Welsh border. This change increases the risk of disease incursion into Wales.'
NFU Cymru has expressed concern at the cost and practicality of these controls.
'There are many unknowns about how BTV-3 could impact our herds and flocks across Wales and Welsh farmers are extremely worried about the threat of the spread of the disease,' said NFU Cymru president Aled Jones.
'However, we have significant concerns about the lack of resources and capacity within the laboratories and APHA to deliver against the potential demand for each and every animal to be tested and licensed, given the significant amount of stock that move across the border from England to Wales for management, welfare and trading purposes.
'We understand that going forward the costs of testing will be borne by the farmer, which will cause a huge increase to the cost of trading.'
FUW president Ian Rickman called the non-alignment a 'disappointment to the industry'.
'As farmers our first instinct is to keep any disease out, but in order to maintain economic stability within the industry, the FUW has repeatedly lobbied the Welsh Government to simultaneously align with the changes proposed in England, as the sheer number of cross-border holdings and trading activity will be vastly disrupted with this policy decision.
'Meanwhile, midges that carry and spread the virus would not respect any such boundaries.
'DEFRA's decision will inevitably bring disease to the Welsh-English border and places both the Welsh Government and the wider industry in an impossible situation.
'However, given this 'when' not 'if' circumstance of bluetongue encroachment into Wales, the FUW believes enforcing a border between Wales and England is both a futile endeavour and wholly impractical.'
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