New advice issued as TB breakdowns rise on Anglesey
© Your Syd/Adobe Stock Bovine TB breakdowns on Anglesey are continuing to climb, a trend that the Welsh government describes as a “cause for concern”.
New surveillance data for the year to 30 September 2022 shows that the average number of open breakdowns at the end of each quarter was six, compared with 5.5 in 2021 and 3.25 in 2017.
See also: Bovine TB data points to fall in cattle slaughterings
The disease is taking hold elsewhere in north Wales, with clusters in rural Wrexham, Denbighshire and the Conwy Valley.
Although the number of breakdowns on Anglesey is low compared with other regions in Wales, the increasing disease confirmation rates and numbers of cattle culled for TB control reasons have prompted the government to consider additional measures.
New advice
The government has issued new advice to cattle keepers on Anglesey, centred on biosecurity around purchasing cattle and isolating animals introduced to the herd.
Welsh rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths said a letter would be sent to all cattle farmers on Anglesey over the next week advising them of these measures.
“Numbers [of breakdowns] are reassuringly low compared to other parts of Wales, but we are taking action now to keep it that way, as figures show a rise in the prevalence of the disease,” she said.