Total animals slaughtered due to a bovine TB incident in Wales has increased by 17 percent, bleak new government figures show.
The figures, covering April 2023 to March 2024, show that a total of 11,197 cattle were slaughtered due to bTB, a rise of 17%.
Overall TB herd incidence rate increased from 6.6 to 6.9, an increase of 0.3%, while herd prevalence saw a rise of 0.1%, from 5.4% to 5.5%.
And in England, total animals slaughtered due to a TB incident increased 5% from the previous 12 months, to 21,298
Bovine TB continues to serious challenges to the farming industry and has economic and social impacts.
Defra and Welsh government commissioned research in 2020 on the financial impact of TB on beef and dairy farmers.
This showed the cost of a TB breakdown directly borne by cattle farms varies significantly, with a median value of around £6,600 across all farms in the survey.
Across England and Wales, median costs for herds of more than 300 cattle were around £18,600, whilst those for herds up to 50 cattle were around £1,700.
Median costs for chronic breakdowns over 273 days were around £16,000, the report showed.
