Following the successful appeal against Welsh government plans to cull badgers in north Pembrokeshire, Plaid Cymru AM for Mid and West Wales, Nerys Evans said:
“This decision will no doubt mean further delays in fully tackling Wales’ TB crisis. Having said that, all 3 of the judges indicated that further action can be taken by the government to tackle the disease in badgers and Lord Justice Pill recognised that the government’s plan for a cull pilot, did demonstrate the prospect of a substantial reduction of the incidence of TB in livestock.
“It is important that we recognise fully just how hard TB is hitting our farming industry, our rural communities and the Wales public finances generally. We’re talking about tens of millions of pounds being paid in compensation every year because of this disease that has been allowed to rage unchallenged for far too long. Elin Jones has been the first Rural Affairs minister to tackle this problem head-on and she clearly grasps the importance of sorting it out. She has put her name to a package of measures designed to eradicate Bovine TB – and it would appear that a group with very narrow interests have been allowed to delay her efforts. Our farming industry, and our public finances will suffer as a result.”
Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Jonathan Edwards added:
“What’s important here is that the Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs Elin Jones has taken the best and most ambitious steps possible to tackle TB in cattle.
“In my area especially, TB is a very real threat and affects very many jobs, industries and rural communities. No doubt the impact will be felt across Wales and our entire farming industry.
“This has been identified as a key priority of the Welsh Assembly Government. This decision is extremely worrying as it could seriously set back the fight against TB.”