Many of you will have seen or heard about the documentary which aired on the BBC on Friday night about bTB (bovine TB).
I hope you’ll have seen our response where we were clear that this programme is fundamentally flawed. We believe it’s completely unacceptable for Sir Brian May to have been given this platform by the BBC.
We wrote to the BBC ahead of the documentary airing, directing them to the peer-reviewed science and outlining our concerns, especially as we are aware that, despite all the additional measures they undertook, Gatcombe farm has since suffered further bTB breakdowns.
This fact undermines the whole premise of the programme.
Rest assured that we will continue to highlight these concerns to the BBC, alongside the AHDB. We are writing a formal letter of complaint to the broadcaster following concerns raised prior to the documentary’s airing.
Emotional and mental impact
The emotional and mental impact of bTB on farming families across England and Wales cannot be understated.
My main concern is the toll this incredibly misleading documentary could have on our members who are having to face this terrible disease every day, and too often seeing their animals culled because of it.
I urge anyone who is struggling to reach out to farming charities and support organisations for help – please don’t think you have to go through this alone.
We also must remember that, despite very real frustrations about this documentary, it is Defra which leads our TB eradication policy, not Sir Brian May.
While a change in government has understandably made many people nervous about the continuation of the current strategy, we have had many constructive conversations with the Labour team both before the election and in recent weeks.
“We also must remember that, despite very real frustrations about this documentary, it is Defra which leads our TB eradication policy, not Sir Brian May.”
NFU President Tom Bradshaw
During all our conversations, including in a meeting with affected members in Cornwall only a couple of weeks ago, it’s been good to hear the Defra Minister Daniel Zeichner reiterating both his and the government’s commitment to eradicating the disease.
Focus firmly on the policy makers
We know that Defra is looking for alternatives – this is something we knew would come with a Labour government – and it’s been encouraging to see some recent success with badger and cattle vaccination trials.
However, we made it clear to the Minister that we still need to see evidence that these tools can play a significant role in TB control, and at scale, before we can move away from a strategy which is proven to reduce herd breakdowns.
In all our conversations, we have highlighted the success of a comprehensive bTB eradication strategy, including wildlife control, which is based on clear science and evidence. Because it is this which has enabled us to achieve a 20-year low in new TB herd breakdowns in England.
In England, we are getting on top of this disease, but it has taken time and a consistent approach.
But we are by no means out of the woods, especially as we know our Welsh farmers are trying to tackle this disease with their hands tied behind their back.
So while we will be making it clear to the BBC that we believe this documentary to be wholly irresponsible, rest assured that our focus is firmly on the people that matter – the policy makers – and we’ll be working closely with them to ensure a strategy which builds on the steady progress made so far and towards a future where our farms are and remain TB free.
