Farmers living on the frontline of bovine TB

For farmers living in a high-risk area, bovine TB has a huge financial and emotional impact.
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We visit two farms in south-west Wales which have endured long-term breakdowns.
Stephen and Daniel James who run 350 dairy cattle, have been affected by bovine TB for 25 years.
The financial toll has cost them more than £50,000 over two or three years through lost milk production, time lost to testing days and additional feed costs due to rearing calves indoors when under restriction.
Alun and Seimon Phillips have lost 250 cattle to TB over the past five years. We visit them on testing day which results in 12 animals lost, in the previous test they lost 33.
They tell of the emotional strain and sadness at losing cattle and the pain it causes them to shoot cows on the farm.
“Our best animal, number seven, it gave us 11,000 [litres] last year, it’s a nice animal, we’re very fond of it. It affects you greatly.
“The cattle that are due to calve, we have to shoot them on the farm. That’s a tough day. What’s worse is losing the next generation. Bloodlines end.”

Mirá También

Así lo expresó Domingo Possetto, secretario de la seccional Rafaela, quien además, afirmó que a los productores «habitualmente los ignoran los gobiernos». Además, reconoció la labor de los empresarios de las firmas locales y aseguró que están «esperanzados» con la negociación entre SanCor y Adecoagro.

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