Entire award-winning herd slaughtered in Welsh TB clampdown

A Pembrokeshire dairy farmer says his mental health has come under pressure after a cycle of bovine TB breakdowns resulted in the wholesale slaughter of all bovines on his farm.

Stuart Williams and his family were down to 228 animals at Home Farm, Leweston, after losing a percentage of the herd at each test since March 2020.

All those animals, aged from three days to 15 years, were slaughtered last week after the Welsh government approved an application by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) to depopulate the farm of all bovines, 10 years after the Willhome herd won Supreme Dairy Champion at the Royal Welsh Show.

See also: Award-winning dairy farmer loses 60% of herd to bovine TB

“Although it was a tough phone call to receive, it was a light at the end of the tunnel because the economics of replacing animals lost at each test didn’t stack up,” said Mr Williams.

“Our milk cheque was a quarter of what it had been and when we lost any of the stock we had bought in to TB, we were only getting half their value in compensation. We just couldn’t keep going.”

© Stuart Williams

Emotional

The emotional and financial pain is acute. “It has crucified us,” Mr Williams admitted. “I’ve had to have mental health counselling and am taking medication to help me through this.

“I think it was slowly building from the start of the breakdown, so I distanced myself from the situation by not using the cows’ names and not taking an interest in their history.”

The breaking point was the day of the valuation, when he paraded the stock before the two valuers in a “show ring” mocked up at the farm – a format he was used to after years of exhibiting the herd at shows.

“The next morning they were loaded onto lorries and driven away, and with that I just melted,” said Mr Williams.

“I know Dad is in the same position. It’s all he has ever worked for and known, so I am worried for him and others farmers in that generation or those who are isolated and who don’t get help.”

Future plans

The business does hope to restock in the future because a survey carried out by the government last month showed no evidence of badgers active on the farm.

It will restock with Ayrshires, Brown Swiss and Holsteins, the breeds that made up their award-winning herd.

For now the income will come from their pig herd and a farm park diversification that opens this month.

Readjusting to the loss of the herd will take time, however. All the family wake without the need of an alarm clock for what would have been the morning milking.

“We still go out to the yard at the same time, to get all the jobs done. It is all we have ever known, but the yards are now empty, no rattling gates or sound at all.”