Item 5 is next, a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs: a partnership approach to the new compulsory bovine viral diarrhoea scheme. I call on the Cabinet Secretary, Huw Irranca-Davies.

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Today, I want to talk about how industry and the Government can tackle a challenging, cross-cutting issue together: the eradication of bovine viral diarrhoea, or BVD.

BVD seriously impacts animal health, welfare standards, and food production. It weakens our national herd, reduces milk yields, and it slows down growth. While not a public health or a food safety risk, BVD is a costly disease for farmers at a time when many farmers and farming communities are feeling under pressure. Losses are estimated in the millions of pounds each year because of decreased productivity, higher veterinary costs, and the loss of livestock. Eradicating BVD means a financial boost for the entire industry and a win for the environment. It's not just about happy, healthy cows; stamping it out also strengthens our reputation as a leader in sustainable agriculture, it opens doors to exciting new markets, and it means more opportunities, more growth, and a more prosperous future for our rural communities.

The good news is that BVD is entirely preventable. Working together, we can eradicate it from Wales. In addition to the gains for farmers, eradicating BVD will help Wales as a whole achieve our net-zero targets sooner. The average Welsh herd is made up of 40 cattle. BVD increases the carbon footprint of that herd by around 70 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent every year. When you multiply this by 11,000 herds in Wales, eradicating BVD is a welcome contribution to achieving net zero. Recognising the range of benefits, our current animal health and welfare framework implementation plan outlines our intention to introduce a compulsory programme of BVD screening, underpinned by legislation.

From 2017 to 2022, with support through our rural development programme, industry and Government together made great strides with the voluntary screening programme. Over 80 per cent of cattle herds in Wales took part, of which 28 per cent tested positive for BVD. Within those herds, 940 persistently infected—PI—animals were identified. This is why the new compulsory programme is so important. BVD spreads mainly through persistently infected, or PI, cattle. These cattle are born with the disease, having come into contact with the BVD virus in the womb. They shed the BVD virus and they spread it to native cattle within the herd, leading to illness, reproduction losses, or the birth of more persistently infected animals. So, identifying and then removing PI cattle from the national herd eliminates the source of the disease. This is critical to the success of any BVD eradication programme.

Eradicating BVD in Wales is a long-standing commitment, and I fully support industry and Government working together in close partnership to achieve this. Eighty-nine per cent of respondents during the consultation phase demonstrated the industry's strong support for introducing BVD legislation in Wales. This encouraged the Welsh Government to co-design and to facilitate a compulsory BVD eradication programme alongside cattle sector representatives. I'm very pleased to announce the Welsh Government made the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (Wales) Order 2024 on 1 July. This pioneering piece of legislation addresses the challenge of eradicating BVD holistically. Its development was driven by dedicated representatives in the cattle, veterinary, and knowledge transfer domains of the industry, and it represents a natural evolution from the voluntary scheme, Gwaredu BVD.

Embarking on this next phase of the BVD eradication programme in Wales is a proud and important step for Wales. I would like to take just a moment and acknowledge our cattle industry’s efforts in paving the way on this. We can achieve BVD eradication through the ongoing efforts of all cattle farmers, working closely with their vets, to screen and protect their herds. So, starting from 1 July 2024, all animals identified as persistently infected are to be restricted on farm for the remainder of their lives and kept separate from the rest of the herd. Under this new legislation, herds in Wales, regardless of their size, type, or location, must undergo annual screening tests for BVD. Cattle keepers will have until 1 July 2025 to complete their first test, which is estimated at £100 per year for the required annual herd testing.

Depending on farm type, eradicating BVD can boost farm profits by £20 to £70 per cow per year. This translates to an additional £2,000 to £14,000 each year per herd. This is a sensible investment in improving the health and productivity of their herd. Farms should invest in protecting the health of their animals, helping to make their businesses more sustainable and more resilient. If herds are not tested by this date, they will be placed under movement restrictions until they receive a BVD-negative antibody test and there is evidence that there are no BVD-infected animals in the herd.

Dirprwy Lywydd, through partnership, the Welsh Government has also developed a BVD database system that will seamlessly integrate with the multispecies Wales livestock tracing system. The database will record the annual test results and will assign BVD statuses for herds and for individual cattle. This will enable farmers to safely source incoming animals and allow industry and the Welsh Government to monitor the progress of BVD eradication across Wales. We are also working in collaboration with cattle industry, veterinary, and knowledge-transfer representatives to establish a BVD governance body. This body will provide advice and support to farmers and vets as well as providing feedback to the Welsh Government to help co-develop any legislative changes needed during the delivery of the programme. The governance body will also be empowered to make decisions to solve operational issues and to design and implement policies within the existing legislation. I'm confident that this innovative partnership approach, with industry leading the charge on BVD eradication, will ensure a successful outcome.

By working together, with the new legislation as our road map, we will stop the spread of BVD, safeguard animal welfare, and maintain a healthy, sustainable cattle industry in Wales. This action will help make our rural communities more prosperous and help Wales as a whole to cut our emissions and tackle the climate emergency. As proud stewards of our land and livestock, we all have a moral responsibility to protect the well-being of our animals and our environment by working together. Farmers, veterinarians, educators and the Welsh Government are making huge strides to make Wales BVD-free.

Dirprwy Lywydd, I'd like to re-emphasise that the Welsh Government is listening to our rural communities and we will continue to listen. Eradicating BVD from Wales is certainly well within our reach. It bears testament to the dedication, collaboration and the shared vision between our farmers, vets, disease experts and our Welsh Government to create a healthier, greener and more prosperous Wales for future generations. To me, Dirprwy Lywydd, that's something worth celebrating. Thank you. 

I'd like to thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement this afternoon outlining the Welsh Government's plan to eradicate bovine viral diarrhoea, BVD, from Wales. While I acknowledge the aspiration that the Government has, there are some significant concerns that need to be addressed before I can wholly support the programme that this Government is pursuing.

I think, Cabinet Secretary, this statement does gloss over the substantial costs that farmers will face. The National Beef Association estimated that BVD presence in a herd incurs annual losses of up to £15,000 for some dairy farmers. You talked there about the £100 annual testing cost. That might seem small, but that's not the only cost, is it, Cabinet Secretary? Because there are additional costs for biosecurity measures and veterinary costs. If you're going to have to segregate cattle, you may have to put additional sheds up, and you may have to adapt your land to do that. And those costs could cripple our small farms. So, Cabinet Secretary, can you outline if there are any concrete financial support plans beyond some of the things that you've mentioned today, and will the Welsh Government be offering substantial grants and cost-sharing initiatives to ease that immediate financial burden on our farmers, particularly those in our smaller holdings, because we need clear commitments from the Government about funding on this? It's very good bringing these schemes forward, but if there is no funding to match them, it's going to be very difficult for the agricultural industry.

The programme that you've set seems to adopt quite a uniform approach, and I think that neglects the vast differences between our large and our smaller family-run operations, especially those organic farms that we have in Wales. So, can you elaborate on how the programme will cater for the needs of these diverse farm types, and are there alternative testing protocols and biosecurity measures for organic farmers, so that they can adhere to their certification standards, because a blanket policy across Wales risks alienating and disproportionately affecting those in the sector who do actually struggle to conform to some of these standards that you're setting out?

Eradication is an ambitious goal, and it's one I share—I like to be ambitious and I think we need to be—but I think the programme lacks long-term detail on sustainability. While you mention monitoring, there's no concrete plan that's been outlined. Studies exist, for instance from the Royal Veterinary College, showcasing eradication programmes in other countries that have led to dramatic reductions in BVD and PI calves, but how will the Welsh Government adopt these learnings? What specific long-term programmes are you going to be putting in place to prevent BVD re-emergence, and have you had conversations with vets on how we can actually put those long-term strategies in place to stop this disease in its tracks?

And on vets, Cabinet Secretary, we do have a shortage of vets right across Wales, and you keep asking them to do more and more, whether that's the increased bureaucracy that comes with TB, the increased vet visits that are part of the sustainable farming scheme, and now this on top again. And that's on top of people's herd plans and sheep health plans that vets come around to talk about. This is a lot of vet time here that is going to be on farms, so I'd be interested to know what conversation you've had with vets around whether they actually have got the resource to do that.

And one thing that I think is very key in delivering this programme—. It does rely heavily on upskilling our farmers right across Wales, and I think there's a little bit of detail lacking in the statement around that. So, I want to know how will the programme educate and upskill our farmers about BVD, the best practices for prevention and control, and the available support systems. Are there any plans to develop an educational resource or training programme specifically tailored to Welsh farmers around—I can't get my words out—BVD? And will the Welsh Government collaborate with industry bodies like the NFU, the FUW and, obviously, the young farmers movement as well, because our young farmers are the future of our farming in Wales, and I'd be interested to know whether you've been talking to them?

I think that's enough questions I've asked you, Cabinet Secretary. I can see your pen moving very quickly across the paper, trying to keep up with what I've asked you. But from my point of view, eradicating BVD in Wales is a positive step. I think it can add significant benefits to the industry, with increasing productivity and actually on-farm profit as well, but I think we need some more answers on the questions that I've asked you, Cabinet Secretary, so we can get into the detail of this, because it's only by getting that full detail will I be able to support you wholly in this scheme. Diolch.

Thank you, James, very much, for those several questions. I can see that we haven't convinced you entirely, but I would simply say to you that this has been, actually, co-produced and led by those in the farming community—those in the cattle sector that have been very keen to see these steps forward, specifically to deal with the eradication of BVD, which has such a significant impact on the productivity of our herds, and actually on the viability of those herds as well. So, in response to your questions about the costs, I noted in my opening remarks—I said on average about £100; actually, for smaller cattle holders, including possibly some of those organics, there is a range. Roughly speaking, it's £6 per animal tested, so on a smaller herd you could be looking at something like £50. On others, it could be £150. Roughly speaking, it's £100 a year. You balance that against the productivity savings, which could be up to £2,000 for a smaller herd, or even £14,000 for a larger herd. I think there's the balance, and that's why those who've co-produced this with us are so supportive of it. So, I hope you can overcome some of your reservations on the cost, because what this does is not only help us with the animal welfare aspects of the herd, help us eradicate BVD, it also deals with carbon emissions, because if you have a healthy herd, all the evidence we’re now seeing—and I know his background within the farming community—shows that better productivity within herds also helps us with the carbon reductions, but it also increases the viability because the cost to those farmers of less productive animals is quite significant. So, it more than outweighs the investment and the, roughly speaking, £6 per animal for the sample testing.

Just to reassure on the longevity of this, when we move to, as I laid out in my initial statement, a system where you have that integration of databases, the information being shared with farmers and accessible to their vets on-farm and so on, these will be tools that are at the disposal of those individual farmers, then, to make decisions, both in terms of cattle movements and bringing new cattle onto the farm, but also in terms of making those on-farm decisions, then, where they have PI animals. It will be for them, then, to make that business decision whether to isolate them and so on.

So, there will be a task over the next year of engaging with the farmers, not only in terms of doing the sample testing before summer 2025, but also working with unions—NFU, FUW—and others who are involved, representative organisations in the farming community, to engage with farmers alongside on-farm veterinarians to explain how this will work, how they can do it in a very straightforward way. There will, for example, be an app brought forward as part of this as well with the database, so that literally the tools are at the disposal of the individual farmer who wants to make use of that; not every farmer will, I appreciate that, but some will want to do it as well.

The shortage of vets that you touched on is a really interesting point. We know how stretched vets are. I simply want to say: any UK Government elected in a few days, of whichever colour, needs to deal with the issue of veterinary agreements on a UK-EU basis. We do need to get back to that situation where there is a well-managed but also a good flow of expertise back and forth. And I mean, this is interesting, because part of the issues of shortages we’re seeing, and I attended—I think you might have as well—the British Veterinary Association annual meeting and the dinner last week—. I met with them during the course of the day. This was one of the things we were discussing: how we got this point where we seem to have strangled the availability.

We also need as well, by the way, to continue the development of our own expertise through our veterinary schools and so on, and I think there’s something here that we need to look at with farmers themselves who might decide, or youngsters on farms who might decide that that’s a route for them to go on. So, the upskilling of farmers is an issue we’ll be working on with the vets, with the farming unions, with young farmers and others over the course of the next year to make sure that all farmers are aware of how to do this process, and why it’s good for them to do this process, and for them to take ownership in the same way that this initiative has actually been co-designed. Those farmers are going to be part of the solution of eradicating BVD, which we can do.

May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement? I've been a keen supporter of the BVD eradication scheme from the days before it even existed. And, of course, I was very pleased to see that the scheme had come into being, and I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to people such as Dr Neil Paton who pushed very hard to see this happening, and who's done so much to prove the value of that broader approach for the industry, for the Government and for others, and that it's a scheme that can make a difference, as you said, in terms of animal well-being, productivity, profit, emissions, and so on and so forth.

But I've also shared the frustration of many on the delay between the end of the funding of BVD eradication and the 18 months to get us to this point where this will become something more permanent, and the fact that there's been a significant decline in the number of those who were coming forward to test for BVD. Perhaps you could explain why the delay. Do you share that frustration? But, of course, the important thing now is that we have reached this point.

Now, what happens now is that the cost and bureaucracy falls more heavily on the shoulders of the sector, and as we have heard, there are questions about the practical impact that that will have. You are clearly saying that there won't be any resources from Government to support that shift within the sector. If so, what will you do to promote the benefits to the sector, because you have highlighted that there will be increased profits from doing this? But how can you sell that to the sector, so that the broader sector—because representatives of different organisations might be buying into this, but on the ground, there needs to be that understanding that this is an investment, and they shouldn't necessarily look at it as a cost burden? But there is an expectation then, if places have been infected, that animals will need to be separated, isolated, kept indoors. There is an infrastructure cost that may be attached to that, and where will you refer people who need that kind of support?

There is a recommendation, of course, that animals should be culled as soon as practically possible. Can you expand on that in terms of 'as soon as practically possible'? I'm sure there will be guidance, but how clear will that guidance be? We don't want a situation such as the one we've seen with TB, where great anxiety is caused unnecessarily. We need clarity, and we need to be able to move very quickly on that front, should the case arise.

What resources are provided to the authorities responsible for enforcing this new regime, because we often say when new regulations are introduced they are only as effective as their enforcement, so that is perhaps something that we need an assurance on?

You say that we are moving to an industry-led phase, that the industry itself will lead on this, but what role do you therefore see for the Government in the longer term in terms of governance and costs related to eradicating BVD? There's reference to BVD governance; can you tell us who you think will play a part in that? 

Just to close from me, your predecessor made a statement in January of last year saying that the two main threats in this context for the sector are sheep scab and BVD. Where are we on sheep scab? What is your ambition in relation to scab? If you get to this point with BVD, is that the direction of travel in the other context too? Thank you.

Llyr, thank you very much for those questions, and thank you as well for, broadly speaking, the welcome for this on the basis that it has been brought forward by people who've been advocating for this for a long, long time, including Dr Neil Paton, but also being brought forward with full co-production. We often overuse that phrase, but this is genuine within this area, with the support of Welsh Government officials, with the support of the office of the chief veterinary officer, and the veterinary sector within the agency as well. But it's genuinely led by those who are dealing with this day by day. It was at their demand. They said, 'We need to deal with this and drive this out of the cattle sector', for all the reasons we've said already. So, thank you for your broad support for it.

But you raised some interesting points there. One aspect there was to do with the support from Government going forward. Well, there is support, it's been support from Government to get to this point, working with industry to get here. There will be support in terms of bringing forward a governance body, which you've touched on. We do need some form of governance, but it needs, as well, to have significant direction within that, again, from the cattle sector itself so that they can adjust, advise on where else we might need to go so that we do eradicate BVD. So, it will have our support in doing that. We'll be bringing forward the databases and the integration of those databases so that we have, at the fingertips of farmers and their on-farm vet, how they can respond to incidents of PI animals, either that are within the herd, or that are brought into the herd.

We will, just to reassure you, as I said to Jane, work with the sector, going forward now in all the clever ways in which we can link to them to explain not just why this is important and why it is so well supported, but how this will work. There is a job of work to be done on this, because not every farmer is connected to a union, not every farmer has regular dynamic engagement with a vet on their farm to the extent that others do. So, we're going to have to use all of those networks of people that we have at our disposal. In the same way that we've co-produced this, we're actually going to have to take forward together the work to explain this. We've got a year to work with all farmers to say, 'You've got till next summer to get your screening, testing, done of your herd.' And it will vary from farm to farm in the nature of those discussions and it will definitely vary in the cost of this as well. But we've worked hard, in co-producing this, to make sure that we keep those costs to a minimum.

The resourcing around enforcement of this—I think that is an important point and I think the group that have brought this together would want to see the right approach to enforcement, because this is all about for the good of the Welsh herd in its entirely and driving out BVD from the whole herd. Now, I have to say, I can give you the assurance there that, even though our on-farm veterinarian services are very stretched, as we've said—and there are ways to resolve that as we go forward—my own, I have to say, very expert and very dedicated team under the chief veterinary officer are also constantly working hard to be right across the piste with this. I have no difficulties in giving the assurance that the enforcement of this in the right way, in the proportionate way in order to eradicate BVD, will be done, and it'll build on the work that's come out of the group's co-produced work as well. There is oversight of this, of course, from Welsh Government. Even when putting the governance body in place, which we will support, there will be oversight from Welsh Government, and, of course, from our office of the chief veterinary officer as well. 

You mentioned whether this then points the way forward on other things. I'm very keen to point out that, whilst I really welcome the fact that this is a co-produced piece of work that's been led by the sector, been championed by the sector for some time, and we've now got to this very important point today, it doesn't, of itself, say, 'This is a precedent', but we do need to actually get on with scab as well. Now, I think what this has shown us is that there is a way of working with the industry to actually say what's the best solution. This model, I think, is absolutely right for this, but let's see now. I'm looking forward to bringing forward some outcomes of the work that we've been doing on scab, and sharing it with the committee as well, so that they can see it, and I think that's our next one that we move onto. But this shows a way that we can do it together. Thank you.

I welcome this really positive statement, Cabinet Secretary. I was pleased to see that Welsh Government is tackling this issue and taking an innovative, partnership approach by listening to rural communities and the experts, and I see it as like an invest-to-save programme as well. So, by doing this, we can improve animal health and welfare standards, as well as improving food production, reducing carbon dioxide and boosting farm profits, going forward.

Partnership working is also about having clear and consistent communication with those involved. I hear what you're saying: we've got a year to work on this. So, again, I was interested to know how we're going to be informing the farming community of these changes. It sounds like there's a lot of communication needing to happen; we've got the sustainable farming scheme regarding this, so how will you be doing it? I know that, very often, they work within their own communities, they share machinery, they talk together as well. So, I'm wondering how that would happen. And who will have access to this BVD database, and who will actually be leading on it? Thank you.

Thank you, Carolyn, for that. You are right, the approach to taking this forward I think is a signal of the way that we want to work across a range of sectors and ways of working within Government, which is work with those people on the front line, in this case, literally, in the field, dealing with cattle on a day-to-day basis, and learn from them what the benefits of this will be, as well as the challenges. We're doing this because they came forward and said, 'We have to do this. We can do it. This is something we can genuinely move fast to eradicate, but it will require that screening and testing and isolating until we drive it out.' But the willingness to do that and the partnership working I think has been a signal moment for me. And I think doing that, applying that to other areas, is a good way of working. You're right in saying that it gives those multiple benefits as well, in terms of animal health and welfare, in terms of zero carbon, and also—also—in terms of driving up productivity on individual farms. We know how stretched farms are, of different sizes, and if this will return on that—I agree with what you're saying: it's almost an invest-to-save; it's take the decisions because that will drive up productivity, get more value into those animals, do better for the bottom line of that farm at the end of the year—then that's a great contribution.

And we will need—. The great advantage we do have, which I've always been aware of, is if we use it well, if we work together, we have an incredibly strong network of farmers, farming unions, representative organisations, veterinarians et cetera, plus the work done with young farmers, as James Evans was saying, plus the agricultural schools that we have. All of those need to combine now to both convey the myriad benefits of this approach that we are taking, but also to provide reassurance and help to say, 'This is how you, as an individual farmer, can now take this forward.' But this is something where we can see the goal line—the goal—in front of us, and, working together, this is genuinely something where we can see a disease and we can say, 'We can eradicate this, working together.'

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary.