Contact/Cyswllt: Sian Cliff
02920 898342 / sian.cliff@wales.gov.uk

The Assembly Government is failing to deal with the triple threat from three diseases putting the squeeze on rural Wales, says Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates.

“Welsh farmers are under incredible pressure from three diseases which have destroyed the autumn sales and disrupted cash flow. Without a change in attitude from the Labour-Plaid Government, rural Wales will be facing a meltdown.”

Today Welsh Lib Dem spokesperson on Rural Affairs Mick Bates issued an agenda demanding urgent action on the three diseases devastating our farming industry.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have written to DEFRA Ministers in Westminster and the Welsh Minister for Rural Affairs in Cardiff Bay with their demands on the three disease agenda:

Foot and Mouth: Westminster Government to pay full compensation

Welsh Liberal Democrats are demanding a full compensation package from the Treasury for losses incurred due to the Westminster Government’s lack of attention to basic biosecurity safeguards at the Pirbright research centre in Surrey.

On Tuesday the Welsh Lib Dems requested correspondence and minutes of meetings between the Labour-Plaid coalition and the Westminster Government, to clarify whether Westminster did announce a £6.8million package for Welsh farmers and whether the Welsh Assembly Government did request a full package from Westminster.

Echoing this call in Westminster Roger Williams MP challenged the Prime Minister this week as he called for the Government to cough up on financial support for farmers. Commenting Mr Williams said:

“Hilary Benn, Secretary of State at DEFRA, informed me that the cost to industry is estimated to be £100m. This is in stark contrast to figures brought to my attention following a meeting in the constituency that suggest the cost to the sheep industry alone is £520m.

“The Government licensed the premises that were responsible for the spread of the disease. The Government say that the polluter should pay and therefore it seems right that, in this case, the Government should pay.

“I received a guarantee from Gordon Brown that he would do all he could in his power to help farmers and I intend to make sure he stays true to his word.”

Blue Tongue: Reduce the protection zone

Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling for the current 150km blue tongue protection zone to be reduced to a much smaller area. The party believes that such a large protection zone is responsible for spreading the disease, not controlling it.

Since the protection zone may not be lifted for 18 months, Welsh Lib Dems demand an immediate disease and economic assessment of the impact of keeping the current protection zone in place.

Montgomeryshire farmer Mick Bates AM wrote to the Minister on the 27th of September asking for clarification on Assembly Government plans to tackle bluetongue. As yet no plans have been provided.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Cull badgers in the hotspots

Welsh Liberal Democrats demand that the Labour-Plaid Government accept the advice of Chief Scientist Sir David King and cull badgers across Wales’ TB hotspots.

Mick Bates: “Bovine TB is a major threat to farmers and animal keepers across Wales. This hugely important issue has been put on the back-burner as the farming industry has been gripped by a siege of foot and mouth and bluetongue.

“Our Labour-Plaid Government cannot hide from this any longer – action must be taken now to eradicate this disease starting in the hotspots. Thousands of cattle are killed each year – without controlling the disease in wildlife this will continue.”



End / Diwedd