31-07-2025
Wales Aims to Be Tb Free by 2041 How is It Working to Achieve This
In the second instalment in Agriland's new series, Silent spread – Ireland's TB battle, we examine the Welsh Government's target to be officially TB-free by 2041 and how it plans to achieve this.
It has highlighted new policies and a "strengthened partnership approach' as among the key tools in its strategy to eradicate the disease.
There are farmers across the UK and beyond experiencing the hardship that comes with TB, including Welsh farmers, who seek an eradication programme that brings real change.
Farmers in Ireland share the same pain, as they await a number of new measures for a revamped TB control plan to be announced this year.
The Welsh Government has told Agriland it is "committed to accelerating action to meet the target of a TB-free Wales by 2041".
"We are determined to eradicate bovine TB in Wales, and recognise the impact on farms, farmers and their families," the government said.
'We've listened to the concerns raised over different aspects of bovine TB and will continue to work in partnership with the industry, as set out in our five-year delivery plan.
'This includes the work of the Technical Advisory Group, who have already provided their expert advice on specific topics.
"We have made significant changes to our policy approach - the latest on inconclusive reactor policies was announced in May."
The new "farmer-led" TB Programme Board is also now in place with governance arrangements complete, the Welsh Government said.
According to the latest survey of agriculture and horticulture in Wales, over 90% of the land area is given over to farming.
The landscape, soil quality and climate of Wales limit the use to which its land can be put.
Most of Wales is hilly or mountainous and this, combined with relatively poor soil quality and a wet climate, means that much of the land is restricted to the grazing of sheep and cattle.
A lot of the farms in Wales would be considered family farms - most of the day-to-day work on the farm is carried out by the farmer and their immediate family.
There are 1.09 million cattle and calves in Wales - a small decline from 1.12 million in 2023.
In the UK, TB policy in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is devolved.
In Wales, bovine TB policy is developed by the Welsh Government, with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) managing operational delivery.
Compulsory measures for bovine TB have been in place in Great Britain since the 1950s.
The Welsh Government established a TB Eradication Programme in 2008, introducing, among other measures, annual herd testing in order to increase surveillance.
In 2017, Wales implemented a refreshed programme, with a regionalised approach to TB creating low, intermediate and high TB areas, based on disease incidence. In the different areas, a more local level approach can be taken when necessary.
Between 2021 and 2022, a consultation took placed on a further refreshed TB eradication programme, after which the Wales TB Eradication Programme Delivery Plan March 2023 to March 2028 was published.
This is the second delivery plan, and sits under the overall Wales TB Eradication Programme.
The Technical Advisory Group is a group providing independent, expert advice to the Welsh Government on the TB eradication programme.
It met for the first time in April 2024, considering on-farm slaughter arrangements in the first instance. Following the group's recommendations, changes were made to the existing policy immediately to reduce the number of cattle that need to be slaughtered on-farm.
The group has also considered evidence in respect of inconclusive reactor policy, considered TB data and evidence gaps in respect of wildlife.
Meanwhile, the Programme Board provides strategic recommendations to Welsh Government on bovine TB, using advice from the Technical Advisory Group.
In order to move or trade cattle, herds need to be free from infection and classified as 'Officially TB Free (OTF)' in Wales.
Herds are classified as OTF unless the herd's status is unknown because: of overdue TB testing; there's suspicion the herd might be infected; or the herd has a TB breakdown, meaning one or more animals fail a TB test.
The Wales TB Eradication Programme Delivery Plan explains that cattle herds are tested at least annually in Wales, with herds in the 'Intensive Action Area in west Wales tested every six months'.
Contiguous testing can take place in some areas of Wales in herds that are neighbouring a TB incident.
The Welsh TB delivery plan outlines that cattle moving within and from the high and intermediate areas require a clear pre-movement test.
"Furthermore, cattle moving into the low TB area from higher incidence areas need a clear post-movement test between 60-120 days after arrival."
For farmers with cattle slaughtered due to TB, full compensation is paid in most cases. Typically the market value of an animal slaughtered for TB will be paid as compensation.
The maximum amount of compensation that will be paid for an animal is £5,000.
The Deputy First Minister for Wales Huw Irranca-Davies, in an update in recent months, said that the current TB picture in Wales is 'varied'.
'Over the 12 months to December 2024, the latest TB statistics show short- and longer-term decreases in new herd incidence. But, conversely, we saw an increase in the number of TB-affected cattle slaughtered last year,' he told the Welsh parliament.
'I understand that this can appear alarming, but much of the rise in 2024 is attributable to the targeted use of the highly sensitive gamma interferon blood test.
'It's important to understand that using this gamma test alongside a standard skin test can improve the identification of TB infection within herds."
Deputy First Minister for Wales Huw Irranca-Davies
He said that this should ultimately lead to a reduction in infection rates - minimising the risk of disease spread and of recurring breakdowns in the longer term.
'However, more gamma testing, coupled with an increased positivity rate of cattle, has indeed increased the number of animals slaughtered for bovine TB control during 2024," he added.
The Welsh Government with the APHA collect and publish key metrics of the disease in the country.
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) also releases official statistics.
In Wales, there were 619 new TB incidents in the 12 months to March 2025, an increase of 2% compared with the previous 12 months when there were 607 new incidents, DEFRA statistics show.
New herd incidents in Wales, January 2008 to December 2024. Source: Welsh Government / DEFRA
There were 13,174 animals slaughtered for TB control in the 12 months to March 2025, an increase of 17.7% compared with the previous 12 months when there were 11,194 animals slaughtered.
The overall trend for animals slaughtered due to bovine TB control is variable - much of a rise since 2014 is attributable to increased use of high-sensitivity testing.
It is recognised in the Welsh TB programme delivery plan that badgers have the potential to play a role in the transmission of bovine TB to and from cattle and between other badgers.
'Respecting the programme for government commitment to forbid the culling of badgers to control bovine TB in cattle, the Welsh Government is pursuing a badger vaccination policy.'
Wildlife is among the key areas that the TB Eradication Technical Advisory Board and the Programme Board are considering as part of their work programmes.
Farmers can avail of a grant to help support the cost of vaccinating badgers on their land.
The delivery plan outlines that a 'passive TB surveillance regime is maintained for non-bovine species such as camelids, goats and farmed deer'.
Last year, Wales made changes to its on-farm slaughter policy with the aim of reducing the numbers of cattle slaughtered.
'The main reasons cattle may be slaughtered on-farm for TB control purposes are either because they are not able to travel on welfare grounds, particularly if in late pregnancy, or as a consequence of medicine withdrawal periods,' the Welsh Government said.
Since the changes were brought in, farmers are 'able to choose to delay the removal of a cow or heifer in the last 60 days of pregnancy and animals that have given birth in the previous seven days, subject to biosecurity conditions to protect other cattle in the herd'.
Since the introduction of the new policy, on-farm slaughter has been avoided through agreed delayed removal of approximately a quarter of the animals – 242, from 111 individual herds –which would previously have been slaughtered on-farm.
In May this year, a change in inconclusive reactor (IR) policies was announced, to take effect from this autumn.
The Deputy First Minister for Wales Huw Irranca-Davies explained: 'Evidence shows these resolved standard IR cattle are higher risk than other cattle because a larger proportion of them go on to become TB reactors at a later point.
'Currently this risks such resolved standard IR cattle with undetected infection being moved and spreading TB to other herds – a key concern raised by industry.
'Under new arrangements, these cattle will be restricted to their herd with only licenced movements permitted direct to slaughter, or into an approved finishing unit."
Following the recent announcement of new changes, NFU Cymru, the organisation representing farmers in Wales, said that 'while improvements to partnership working and targeted revisions to government bovine TB policy are encouraging, further significant change is still needed to rid Wales of this terrible disease'.
'NFU Cymru continues to call for a comprehensive eradication strategy that deals with this disease wherever it exists.'
