Conservatives launch petition to demand Welsh Government U-turn on Bluetongue policy

Emily Price

The Senedd Conservatives have launched a petition to demand the Welsh Government align with England’s Bluetongue policy.

Earlier this week, Welsh ministers issued updated guidance to protect farmers as new Bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) disease control measures come into effect from 1 July.

It follows the establishment of an England-wide Bluetongue Restricted Zone and aims to prevent the virus from spreading into Wales which is currently BTV-3 free.

The disease is caused by a virus transmitted by biting midges and affects sheep, cattle and other ruminants such as deer and goats as well as llamas and alpacas.

Cost

England’s restricted zone will allow animal movements around England without costly testing.

But Welsh farmers moving animals from England into Wales will face pre-movement tests costing up to £70 per animal.

The Welsh Conservatives have branded Wales’ Bluetongue policy “confusing, costly, and completely out of touch.”

The party has argued that infection is not spread from animal to animal and that infectious midges don’t stop at the border.

A petition has been launched online calling on the Welsh Government to scrap its policy and align with England.

Vaccinations

Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz, said: “Labour’s Bluetongue policy is out of touch with farming reality and is neither proportionate nor pragmatic.

“It also seemingly fails to consider the disease is spread by midges rather than from livestock-to-livestock.

“The truth is the Welsh Government have been sat on their hands when they should have been actively encouraging livestock farmers to vaccinate.

“Had they done that, then these livestock movement restrictions wouldn’t have been necessary.

“The Welsh Conservatives are calling on the Welsh Government to urgently reconsider its stance and align with England’s restricted zone and actively increase livestock vaccinations.

“If farmers want their voices heard on this important issue, please sign the petition and urge the Labour Welsh Government to reconsider their damaging policy.”

Concerns

Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, says his goal is to keep Bluetongue out of Wales.

In a statement he said: “The economic and farmer wellbeing concerns caused by dealing with severe Bluetongue are first and foremost in my mind.

“I also want to allow more time to observe the severity of the disease in England, and for keepers to vaccinate their herds and flocks.

“I have made clear the thinking behind my decision in the Senedd this week, but I want to keep it under review. Should the evidence change, and we need to alter the policy, we will revisit and review this in a dynamic way.

“Our shared priority over the coming weeks is to promote vaccine take-up. All representatives at the Roundtable I recently convened were unanimous in their support for vaccination as the best method of protecting livestock and reducing the impacts of Bluetongue.”