3 days ago
Farmer billed £18,000 to move sheep five miles after Welsh Government rule change
Farmer billed £18,000 to move sheep five miles after Welsh Government rule change
Bluetongue is a disease which impacts animals including cattle and sheep
Bluetongue is a disease which threatens animals, including sheep
(Image: Shaurya Shaurya )
Welsh Government restrictions on farmers are causing "chaos" with one farmer reportedly given a £18,000 bill to move his sheep just five miles across the border from England.
Bluetongue is a viral disease which is spread by biting midges, and affects sheep, cattle, goats and deer, llama and alpaca. It is circulating in England and Wales. Rarely, it can affect dogs and other carnivores but it does not affect humans and poses no risk to public health or food safety.
The Welsh Government last week said it was introducing limits on moving livestock and that from June 20, 2025 any susceptible animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, deer, llamas and alpacas moving from a bluetongue restricted zone to Wales to live, will require a specific movement licence and testing before moving. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
If an animal is showing clinical signs on the day of transport they cannot move to Wales. The measures will be in place until July 1, 2025, Welsh Government said.
Wales' rural affairs minister Huw Irranca-Davies said when the changes were made it was not "feasible or realistic that we can keep the disease out forever. At the same time, I cannot in all conscience invite bluetongue into Wales.
"I am unwilling to risk the uncertain impact of the disease in livestock-dense areas like the Welsh borders. I am also extremely concerned about the economic and farmer wellbeing impacts of dealing with sick animals, and the livestock productivity and fertility losses associated with severe bluetongue, as observed in many affected European countries.
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"My decision is to attempt to hold back the disease for as long as we can. Although livestock moves to live will be permitted with a negative premovement test, we will have time to monitor the effects of bluetongue in livestock dense areas of England and crucially, additional time for Welsh keepers to vaccinate their animals against the disease. "
However Senedd members representing rural communities told him in the full meeting of MSs on Tuesday (June 17) that will cause "chaos" for farmers.
Conservative MS Samuel Kurtz said Senedd members received no briefing from the deputy first minister nor the chief veterinary office on the science behind their decision.
Mr Kurtz said: "I've spoken with a farmer in mid-Wales now facing a bill of at least £18,000 just to bring their own sheep back from England – a field that is only five miles down the road. That cost covers testing, transport delays, logistical headaches, and that is not an isolated incident," he said.
"There has been no economic impact assessment despite the far-reaching consequences for our rural community and perhaps most troubling of all, the decision was issued via a written statement on a Thursday afternoon – just after the Senedd week had ended, ensuring no scrutiny, no questions and no answers until today.
"We all understand the importance of protecting Welsh livestock from bluetongue but the measures imposed are not only excessive, they're unworkable.
"Requiring pre-movement testing for all live imports, even vaccinated animals, might look reasonable on paper but in the real world of Welsh farming it's chaos."
He said movement restrictions were "sowing uncertainty" at the height of the trading season. "This isn't protecting the industry; it's paralysing it," he warned.
He put the cost of vaccinating all livestock in Wales at £32m – £6 a cow and £3 for every sheep or goat – placing a "staggering financial" burden on a struggling industry.
During a statement on the Welsh Government's approach to bluetongue on June 17, deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said policy will be kept under regular review.
"If the evidence changes on the ground, we can revisit this," he said, claiming it was not feasible to conduct an economic impact assessment.
Mr Irranca-Davies, who is responsible for rural affairs, told Senedd members it was a finely balanced decision taken because "we think there is a fighting chance here to hold this back".
The former MP and Defra minister clarified that testing requirements will not apply for movements to and from land within a farm's combined holding.
He said the Welsh Government has successfully kept bluetongue out of Wales this year but an all-England restriction zone obliged Welsh ministers to review their own approach.
'I cannot and will not in good conscience simply invite bluetongue into Wales,' he stressed.
Plaid Cymru's rural affairs spokesman Llŷr Gruffydd said: "You've explained to us that part of this rationale is to buy time but I have to say: where have you been? We've known for months and months, if not years, that bluetongue is on its way. I really fear that your decision and your policy decision this week will bring even more worry, even more disruption and even more concern in its wake."
Mr Irranca-Davies hit back: "Where have we been?' We've been keeping the disease out of Wales. It is not inevitable, as you and Sam seem to be saying, that the disease will walk in the door. What we are trying to do is keep that door as firmly shut as we can…. but it is a heightened possibility as soon as the border is snapped out to the England-Wales border."
Restrictions have already been put in place relating to the Royal Welsh Show/ You can read about that here.
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