Wales' Bovine TB Success: How Welsh Vets Slashed Cases
"Learn how a partnership approach and strategic disease control have led to a significant reduction in bovine tuberculosis cases in Wales."
Bovine tuberculosis (TB) poses a significant challenge to livestock farmers and animal health officials worldwide. Wales, however, has demonstrated notable progress in tackling this persistent disease.
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Welsh veterinarians and a collaborative approach to disease control, Wales has achieved a remarkable 35% reduction in new bovine TB incidents within its Intensive Action Area.
This article explores the strategies and partnerships driving this success, while also addressing the ongoing challenges and future directions in the fight against bovine TB in Wales.
Measuring the Burden
A systematic review published in 2025 set out to collate evidence on bovine TB’s effects on animal health, welfare and production, noting that the impact remains poorly characterised in many contexts and production systems. A 2020 global and continental burden study describes zoonotic animal TB as a One Health disease and notes that official surveillance and control strategies in most developed countries support longitudinal reporting of herd or animal prevalence. The UK government’s bovine TB statistics collection covers cattle in Great Britain, but the supplied material does not include a current Wales-specific figure.
Tuberculin and Early Control
Robert Koch developed tuberculin in 1890, and the possibility of using it to detect infected animals led quickly to the first tests. Bovine TB control and eradication programmes followed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The World Organisation for Animal Health account describes early twentieth-century control as involving scientists refining tuberculin and skin-test methods, which remain a simple, technologically undemanding way to detect infection in farmed cattle and help protect people.
The Welsh Veterinary Partnership: A Model for TB Control
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has lauded Welsh vets for their proactive role in reducing bovine TB cases. Central to this success is a partnership-based approach, where vets, government agencies, and farmers work together to implement effective disease control measures.
- Collaboration between vets, government, and farmers
- Strategic disease control measures
- Consistent implementation of strategies
Trends and Testing
A study of bovine TB trends in Wales between 2010 and 2021 identifies recurrence and persistence as important drivers of infection. Separately, the Welsh Government reported that the rise in new incidence in the IAA was largely due to greater use of the more sensitive gamma interferon blood test and more severe interpretation of the skin test. These findings point to both ongoing infection patterns and changes in detection as relevant when interpreting reported trends.
Limits to Interpreting Progress
The Wales-only trends study reports a significant decrease since 2010, but explicitly limits its data to Wales. A broader review explains that bovine TB control is difficult partly because available diagnostic tests have limited sensitivity and the pathogen also occurs in wildlife, especially badgers. A report comparing the IAA with other areas in Wales cautions that its study design means comparisons and conclusions should be treated carefully.
Welsh Trends and Recent Incidents
The Welsh Government’s Great Britain series reports 618 new incidents in the 12 months to December 2023, up 2.8% from 601 in the previous 12 months. By contrast, the Welsh 2021 surveillance report says incidence across Wales steadily decreased from 10.1% in 2009 to 6.3% in 2021. These figures cover different periods and measures—new incidents in Great Britain versus an incidence metric for Wales—so they should not be read as a direct like-for-like comparison.
Looking Ahead: Sustaining Progress and Upholding Welfare Standards
The Welsh government's commitment to animal health extends beyond TB eradication. At the BVA's annual Welsh dinner, Ravetz urged Cabinet Secretary Lesley Griffiths to mandate CCTV in slaughterhouses. This measure would help ensure that welfare standards at slaughter match the high standards observed across other areas of Welsh policy.
Evidence Gaps and Control Choices
A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis on global prevalence and risk factors highlights a paucity of bovine TB prevalence data across animal species and in several developing countries. Another 2026 meta-analysis describes bovine TB as a zoonotic disease primarily involving Mycobacterium bovis in cattle, and raises the possibility that the COVID-19 period from 2020 to 2025 may have disrupted its epidemiology. The supplied source material does not establish the nature or scale of any such disruption. A separate review notes that treatment is not considered a popular or cost-effective alternative in countries committed to TB eradication.
Animal Health and Welfare Evidence
A systematic review published in 2025 was designed to collate available evidence on bovine TB’s impact on animal health, welfare and production. Its authors describe the impact as poorly characterised in many contexts and production systems. The review was intended to support the development of policies for accelerated bovine TB control, underscoring the need for stronger evidence on these effects.
Public Health and Data Sharing
A 2025 article describes bovine TB, primarily caused by Mycobacterium bovis, as a chronic cattle disease with public-health and economic implications because of its zoonotic potential and impact on livestock productivity. A separate paper uses bovine TB data as a case study to describe animal-health data sharing across England, Scotland and Wales. It says the Animal and Plant Health Agency undertakes this sharing on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh and Scottish Governments.
By integrating technology and reinforcing accountability, Wales can further enhance its reputation for responsible and ethical animal management. The ongoing efforts to combat bovine TB, coupled with a focus on welfare standards, demonstrate a holistic approach to animal health in Wales.
The success in reducing bovine TB cases offers valuable lessons for other regions grappling with similar challenges. By prioritizing collaboration, evidence-based strategies, and a commitment to animal welfare, significant progress can be made in safeguarding livestock and supporting the livelihoods of farmers.