Welsh farmer Michael Williams has shared his top tips on protecting cattle from TB

Wedoany.com Report-Feb 18, Michael Williams, a dairy farmer in Pembrokeshire participating in a Welsh government pilot program to control bovine tuberculosis (TB), has significantly reduced the risk of TB in his herd by adopting a range of biosecurity measures. He stopped buying cattle from livestock markets to prevent the introduction of TB into his herd and has since maintained a closed herd, not even purchasing stock bulls.

To further protect his herd, Williams installed cameras to monitor interactions between badgers and cattle, but no contact was detected. However, physical signs of badger activity were observed in fields and cow tracks, prompting him to erect 1.5 miles of badger-proof fencing around areas with high badger activity.

Williams has also implemented several other biosecurity measures, including creating a remote fallen stock area to prevent wildlife from accessing carcasses, erecting electric fencing around the maize clamp to deter badgers, restricting visitor numbers and requiring clean vehicles to enter the farm, draining unused water troughs, reducing reliance on farm contractors, keeping cattle accommodation walkways clean, adopting high-level hygiene practices at calving, providing footwear disinfection points, and increasing intervals between slurry application and silage harvesting.

In addition to these measures, Williams has been using an app developed for the Pembrokeshire TB pilot to identify and cull animals at high risk of contracting or spreading TB. Animals in the two highest risk categories are sold as barren, while those in the lowest risk category but still considered a risk are bred to ensure no female replacements enter the herd. In 2024, 35 of Williams' cows exited the herd based on risk rating results.

Williams believes that these measures are working, as evidenced by a decrease in the risk rating from 11% in January 2024 to 7% in December 2024. He emphasizes the importance of discussing biosecurity and disease risks with the farm vet and credits his vet, Rhiannon Lewis, with supporting him through this process. Williams is confident that by continuing to implement these measures, he will be able to reduce the risk of TB in his herd to manageable levels within a few years.