Cyfarfod Bwrdd Rhaglen Dileu TB Gwartheg Llywodraeth Cymru: 22 Mai 2025

The meeting was held on Thursday 22 May 2025 at Llandudno Junction.

Sharon Hammond: Chair
Glyn Hewinson: Technical Advisory Group Chair
Alan Gardner 
Evan Roberts
Roger Lewis
Gemma Haines
Elin Jenkins
Tori Morgan
Phil Thomas
Elgan Thomas
Linda Jones
Alan Huxtable: APHA representative 
Alison Jones: Head of Bovine TB Policy for Welsh Government
Richard Irvine: Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales
Programme Board Secretariat

Guest speakers/observers 

Animal and Plant Health Agency representatives
Welsh Government officials

• the Programme Board Chair welcomed members to the meeting and thanked them for making the journey to Llandudno Junction
• the Chair conveyed apologies from Nick Collinson and advised the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Wales would be arriving later
• the Chair officially welcomed new members to the Programme Board, Linda Jones from the Farming Community Network (FCN) and Elgan Thomas from the Young Farmers Clubs (YFC). Programme Board members introduced themselves to the new members
• it was agreed that the Chair will attend Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meetings to provide farmer representation and a link to Programme Board – if Chair cannot attend, another Programme Board farmer member will deputise (Action)
• during the initial discussions a number of Board members made the point it was good that arrangements were now in place and seemed to be working well, but the Board needed to be seen to be making visible positive progress. This was widely agreed
• members of the Board asked that brief communication lines should be pulled together by the secretariat and agreed by the Chair immediately after each Board meeting so that an agreed set of messages were available for members to disseminate, this was agreed (Action)

• an Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) official gave a presentation on key statistical data that would help inform members of the developing statistical picture and prepare their grounding for discussions with the TAG and other groups
• another official from APHA then presented a review of Wales TB Slaughtered Figures in 2024. The presentation showed year-by-year figures and what these looked like “by area” across Wales
• members then had a wide-ranging discussion around data featured in the presentation and specifically around TB testing

• an official from the APHA presented a review of on-farm slaughter following on the change in Welsh Government policy. Feedback to APHA had been generally positive
• Board members also provided generally positive feedback on the changes to on-farm slaughter policy and the choice given to farmers
• the human impact of on-farm slaughter was also raised, noting the importance of farmer’s mental health in these situations

• Professor Glyn Hewinson, the Chair of the TAG, updated the Board with regards their discussions relating to the role of wildlife and related policy. He explained that the topic was not one that could be addressed in any meaningful way in a single session, and that consideration was therefore ongoing. Therefore, TAG advice on this has not yet been finalised
• he also explained that TAG would provide the Programme Board with written advice once discussions had concluded
• Professor Hewinson explained that it was likely that the final report/recommendations of the Godfray review would be published later in the Summer/Autumn which will be of interest, providing discussion points for both the TAG and the Programme Board going forward
• members of the board questioned Professor Hewinson closely with regards both progress and direction of travel to this point

• a Welsh Government veterinary advisor gave a presentation on progress on 6-yearly targets for bovine TB eradication and review data. This presentation covered:
  • yearly intervals of when milestones are expected to be reached
  • the progress made so far in this area, with evidence-based examples
  • prediction of progress going forward based on modelling data
• members then had the opportunity for a question-and-answer session following the presentation

• Welsh Government officials excused themselves from the session at this point as members began closed session discussions around the Position paper
• discussion and all decisions were captured by the Board themselves and recorded by the Chair
• output: it was agreed during the closed session that a Task and Finish group would be established. Membership of the group was agreed, which would be “small and punchy” and would be results focussed. The first meeting of this group will be held in June, with a view to bring a draft paper forward by September meeting (Action)

• an official from Welsh Government delivered a short presentation on the progress made so far in implementing the policy change following advice from the Programme Board to Welsh Government concerning the handling of Resolved Inconclusive Reactors
• it was explained that following acceptance of the Programme Board advice the Welsh Government had been working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to implement the new policy so it could be implemented later in the year
• communication of the change in policy to the industry was also discussed with emphasis on how industry, including the Programme Board themselves and groups like the North Wales Project, might shape the narrative and amplify the key messages
• the point was also made that this was an opportunity to highlight the success of the established TB Eradication Programme Governance process in action. Showing the role of TAG advising the Board and the Board deliberating and then advising Welsh Government officials and ultimately Welsh Ministers. This collaboration between Government and industry groups in the communication of the changes would reinforce the positive narrative
• four headings were agreed to discuss how to communicate this policy change:
  • messages: IR policy change to farmers – plus the wider “Governance” structure good news story
  • medium: vets, unions, WG all put the message out – the statement/narrative needs to be the same across the board
  • ownership: message coming from industry groups not government
  • audience, events and timeline: there was some discussion around how we spread messages: sequential, trickle messages out, or one big messaging event to focus minds

Further discussion 

• Programme Board members wondered if permanent identification for IRs might be possible – can this be done? What has happened in England?
• Board members asked if in specialist cases for example: a tenancy change that these be assessed on an individual basis
• where policies differ between England and Wales ensure that these are explained clearly avoiding any perceived criticism of either English or Welsh policy
• output: A Task and Finish group on IR communications to be established: to include Programme Board members with requisite expertise as well as Iechyd Da and Mentera (Action)

• Position paper ad-hoc online meeting: Thursday 26 June, 11am to 1pm
• Royal Welsh Agricultural Show joint event: 21 July
• next Programme Board meeting (jointly with TAG): 18 October (Aberystwyth)

As agreed earlier in the session, the secretariat working with the Programme Board Chair drafted and agreed communications lines to be shared with Board members

The Agreed lines were:

• the TB programme board met on 22 May in Llandudno Junction:
  • Board members discussed the development of their proposed position paper on ‘TB in Wales’ that will be published in Spring 2026, and which will include the forward workplan for both the Programme Board and Technical Advisory Group (TAG)
  • the Programme Board reviewed progress during the first year since changes were made to on farm slaughter policy
  • the Programme Board was updated on next steps following the decision made by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs regarding the management of Resolved Inconclusive Reactors following on from evidence and advice provided by the TAG and Programme Board. Actions were agreed by the Board regarding their role in developing and delivering effective communications on the rationale and implementation of the policy to stakeholders
  • an update was given on the six-year review of progress toward TB eradication in Wales
  • the Chair of the TAG provided an update on the initial TAG meeting on TB and wildlife. This discussion is ongoing, and final advice has not yet been formulated
  • the board also took this opportunity to look forward to and plan its presence, alongside members of the TAG, at the Royal Welsh Show