Not enough is being done by the Welsh Government to eradicate the spread of TB among cattle in Montgomeryshire, AM Russell George has warned after meeting farmers from the area to discuss the issue.
Mr George, who is also Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources, was responding to the Welsh Government’s update on its bovine TB vaccination programme.
It confirmed the number of cattle slaughtered in Wales between December 2012 and November 2013 was 6,275.
Speaking during a Rural Affairs debate on the issue at the Senedd, Mr George told Minsters and AMs that farmers were being hit “emotionally, psychologically and financially” and the government needed to do much more.
“Farmers continue to get a raw deal from the Welsh Government and their anger and frustrations continue to be ignored. Simply – this policy isn’t working,” said Mr George.
He met farmers at Welshpool Livestock Market last week as part of a meeting also attended by officials from the Welsh Government where there was a “significant amount of anger and frustration” that not enough is being done to tackle the infection in the wild.
Farmers at the meeting gave a unanimous view that the government was not doing enough to deal with the problem.
“Farmers’ costs are spiraling and huge numbers of cattle continue to be slaughtered.
“Tried and tested methods of eradicating TB are still being dismissed by Welsh Government ministers and it is our already struggling farming industry that is bearing the brunt of their mistakes.
“Farmers are being hit emotionally, psychologically and financially by this continuing fiasco.
“I urge ministers to do more to tackle bovine TB, listen to the views of farmers, and put an end to this failing programme.”
