NFU Cymru President Aled Jones has criticised a new BBC documentary focussing on bovine TB. saying he was ‘extremely concerned’ about its content.

“ The documentary, presented by Sir Brian May who has such strong, one-sided views, appears to dismiss all the independent peer-reviewed science. Farmers across Wales are losing their herds and their livelihoods. These families are already under immense pressure and this documentary will do nothing to ease their turmoil. The NFU has written to the BBC to set out our frustration on how and why this documentary has been given the platform it has.

“For the farmers that are living the nightmare it is incredibly painful and disrespectful to see flawed information about how this disease is spread being shown on prime-time national television. However, it is not just those farmers who have TB on the farm but also the thousands of farmers across Wales who have TB threatening , those who are lying awake at night wondering if it will be their turn next. The BBC appears to have given little thought to the impact this documentary will have on the mental health and wellbeing of rural Wales.

 “Our member survey, which was completed by over 500 farmers from across Wales last year evidenced this, and over 93% of those who responded said they were extremely concerned or very concerned about bovine TB. In addition, of the 462 members who consented to a question on mental health, 85% said TB has negatively impacted the mental health of them and their families.

 “NFU Cymru is supportive of on farm trials but are concerned that the documentary appears to draw concrete conclusions from the experience of one farm which we believe is not scientifically credible. We cannot ignore the peer-reviewed studies based on the experience in England - the Birch review, the Godfray review and the Downs review - which show that wildlife control has a significant part to play in controlling this disease. The decision by BBC Wales to broadcast a documentary based on potentially unvalidated and incomplete scientific evidence, without properly exploring alternative studies, is irresponsible and extremely concerning. 

“Our members are extremely upset at the suggestion that slurry is to blame for the spread of bTB. Farmers in Wales are proud to produce food to some of the highest standards in the world and ensuring the health and welfare of our animals on farms along with maintaining high biosecurity standards is our upmost priority. Research by the government’s own body responsible for animal health, the Animal and Plant Health Agency5, has determined the possibility that bTB is spread through cattle faeces as very low.

“Between April 2023 and March 2024 over 11,000 cattle were slaughtered across Wales because of this terrible disease. We are now seeing bovine TB spread into parts of Wales which were traditionally considered lower risk. We are seeing more TB breakdowns and more herds living under TB restrictions. It does not feel to farmers in Wales like the current approach is working. Welsh Government has an ambition for Wales to be TB free by 2041. NFU Cymru wants to believe this is possible, but we have long said that for this ambition to be achieved, we must implement a comprehensive eradication strategy in Wales that deals with the disease wherever it exists.

“Bovine TB is a complex disease and there is no magic wand. NFU Cymru passionately believes that our future generations of farmers in Wales should be able to farm without the threat of this terrible disease but if we are to have any hope of that happening, we must have access to all the tools that have been proven to work.”