The Farmers' Union of Wales today claimed the Welsh Government decision not to cull badgers in north Pembrokeshire goes against the science and marks a cowardly betrayal of north Pembrokeshire farmers and the Welsh farming industry as a whole.
Since May 2010, farmers in the north Pembrokeshire Intensive Action Area (IAA) have been subject to a raft of extra and costly cattle controls aimed at complementing the impact of a planned badger cull.
This work was accepted by the industry as part of an holistic approach to tackling TB and farmers had a reasonable expectation that meaningful action would be taken.
But today Environment Minister John Griffiths announced they would not be proceeding with a cull and would instead implement a badger vaccination programme.
Following the announcement, FUW TB spokesman Brian Walters said: "According to the experts who have conducted the most significant research to date into badger vaccine, it would require a massive trial covering thousands of square miles of land just to establish whether vaccination can have an impact on cattle herd breakdown [1]."
Mr Walters also quoted scientific advice given to former Agriculture Minister Elin Jones in March 2011 stating: "…the vaccination of badgers is unproven for large scale field use and particularly in demonstrating a change in the number of confirmed cattle herd breakdowns. It is therefore recommended that a strategy of vaccinating badgers for bovine TB is not suitable as the principle intervention to deal with the weight of infection that exists in badgers in endemic areas of Wales, and the transmission of that infection to cattle at this time. [2]"
Mr Walters added: "As far as vaccination is concerned, nothing has changed since this advice was issued twelve months ago.
"By contrast, culling has consistently been shown to reduce bTB incidences in cattle herds and since the 1970s thousands of herds have achieved TB?free status following badger culling.
"The most recent peer reviewed work published in February predicts significant reductions in outbreaks in north Pembrokeshire following a badger cull. [3]"
Mr Walters was also harshly critical of those cabinet members who had previously voted for a cull but were now opposing such action.
"When AMs previously voted in favour of a badger cull on successive occasions it demonstrated that Wales was willing to take positive steps to eradicate TB, even if those steps were controversial.
"Farmers felt that we were genuinely on the road to eradication and the industry has worked hard in north Pembrokeshire and elsewhere in anticipation of meaningful action.
"Those who have now gone back on their words have not just betrayed farmers in north Pembrokeshire but the industry as a whole. They should hang their heads in shame."
In light of the decision, the FUW has sought legal advice regarding financial redress for the extra costs incurred by cattle keepers in the IAA over a period of almost two years.
[1] Internal VLA Memo on badger vaccination, November 2010.
[2] Wales Bovine Tb Eradication Programme ? The Badger (Control Area) (Wales) Order 2011; scientific advice to Minister Elin Jones, March 2011.
[3] Modelled impacts of badger culling on cattle TB in a real area with geographic boundaries, Veterinary Record (2012) 170, 177.