Bovine TB

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford speaks to Farmers Guardian about his thoughts on the current farming climate in Wales

South Wales Police has asked farmers not to bring tractors to the protest to ensure the movement of the emergency services is not 'restricted' in a busy city centre

James farms Dairy Shorthorns east of Kendal, Cumbria, with his parents Kathleen and Henry, wife Michelle and sons Robert and Chris. The fifth generation to farm at Strickley, he is also vice-chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network

In March 2012 I was notified that one of our cows looked like she had bovine TB in her organs after slaughter

UFU president David Brown said: "We made a strong case against proposed TB livestock valuation cuts and underlined the crucial difference between compensation and valuations. We stressed that these cuts would alienate farmers

Farmers said rural budget cuts, increased taxes and production costs, the emotional and financial impact TB had placed on business, alongside proposals to take agricultural land out of production for tree planting had taken its ‘toll' on the emotional and financial well-being of farmers

It is after comments made by Senedd members, including Joyce Watson MS suggesting farmers with perpetual bovine TB should ‘find another business' and Mike Hedge's MS saying 'there was no reason to subsidise agriculture'

Normally the family aim to milk a herd of around 120 cows, but at the moment they are only milking 70 cows

Cumbrian dairy farmer, James Robinson, has recently entered into bTB restrictions and here he gives a first-hand account of the day the news was delivered and gives an insight into the stigma attached to having a TB breakdown in a supposed ‘clean’ area

The proposal put forward by the Welsh Government, was opposed by FUW members due to factors such as cost, the impracticalities of attempting to pasteurise, and the welfare benefits of colostrum