The Farmers’ Union of Wales and NFU Cymru have welcomed the news that the Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board members have now been appointed.

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, announced that he has appointed Sharon Hammond as the Chair of the Board, which will oversee and provide guidance to Welsh Government on their TB eradication programme.

Ms Hammond, who is also a member of the NFU Cymru TB focus group, will be joined by fellow focus group members along with representation from farmers and the veterinary profession.

The job of the board is to provide strategic advice to the Welsh Chief Veterinary Office and Welsh Ministers. 

The news completes the revised governance structure as outlined in the Wales TB Eradication Programme Delivery Plan 2023-2028, following the formation of the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group earlier this year.

FUW Deputy President and dairy farmer, Dai Miles said: “The FUW welcomes the opportunity to have a seat at the table, alongside a team with a wealth of knowledge and practical experience in this field, to tackle the myriad of issues facing Welsh family farms in eradicating bovine TB.

“As a Union, we are keen to play our part on the Eradication Programme Board and work closely with the Technical Advisory Group in reviewing important matters relevant to bovine TB eradication.

“As an industry, we can not continue with the status quo. We must grasp this opportunity to work collaboratively as an industry to influence and direct change, not only for the present health and wellbeing of our cattle and farmers, but also for our future generations.”

NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “It is welcome news that the Cabinet Secretary has appointed Sharron Hammond as Chair of the Bovine TB Programme Board, alongside Roger who Chairs the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group and Evan. All four have significant expertise in Bovine TB and have been actively involved in our TB Focus Group for a number of years now.

Following the appointment of the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Group (TAG) earlier in the year, the Programme Board is the final important piece in the governance structure for Welsh Government’s TB policy. It is positive to see strong farmer and veterinary representation around the table, as it is farming families and their own private farm vets who are at the front line of dealing with this dreadful disease so their views on future TB policy are vital.

“The Programme Board has incredibly important work to do in driving forward a route to eradication of this terrible disease, something the future generations of cattle farmers in Wales depend on. In the period from April 2023 to March 2024, over 11,000 cattle were slaughtered because of bovine TB in Wales, a sobering statistic that we cannot allow to continue. In this respect NFU Cymru continue to call for a comprehensive disease eradication strategy that tackles this disease wherever it exists. 

“Three years ago, the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group was formed to help inform our views on TB policy and to identify where improvements could be made to policy without risking disease control. We stand ready to use our seat on the Programme Board to take forward the views of our membership to the board, whether those views be from farmers where TB is present on the farm or is threatening at the door.”

One of the first tasks of the Programme Board will be to consider the analysis of the bovine TB six-year milestone target review and policy relating to the management of Inconclusive Reactor test results.