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Ulster Farmers' Union president said the decision was a 'major blow' for livestock farmers, adding farming families have been on their knees due to this disease for generations

Politicisation of bovine TB is one of the reasons the disease crisis spiralled so badly out of control, and Labour's pledge to end badger culling if it comes to power next year therefore risks undoing all the progress that has been made.

With voters expected to go the polls in around 12 months' time, livestock farmers told Farmers Guardian future policy on controlling bTB should not be part of ‘the political debate to be used as a vote winner'

NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw said it was 'something the union had been fearing'

The Centre of Excellence in Aberystwyth want to engage with all stakeholders in a joint endeavour to find new and better ways of combatting bovine tuberculosis

From October 2, 2023, cattle keepers will be able to apply for a general licence, known as licence TB16e, that covers the onward movement of cattle from TB restricted holdings

At the moment in-calf cows and heifers which fail bovine TB tests must be culled on-farm before giving birth

Identifying residual disease risk in Pembrokeshire will be at the project’s core, alongside developing a pathway to reduce cattle-to-cattle transmission

Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths said 'progress' continued to be made with tackling bTB in Wales, but acknowledged it was ‘slow'. She asked for farmers and vets to 'redouble their efforts'

According to figures from Defra, the number of new bTB herd incidents in the last 12 months increased by 13 in Scotland, with the number of herds under restriction rising by 16