The new Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board has been announced by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies.
The board will meet in December of this year (2024) for its first meeting.
Sharon Hammond a beef, sheep and poultry farmer will chair the Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board.
Hammond farms in mid-Wales and has practical experience of the challenges of TB outbreaks and restrictions.
According to Irranca-Davies:
“Sharon brings a great deal of expertise to the role of chair, gained from being a member of the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group since its inception, previous membership of the 2022 TB Task and Finish Group, having been a county chair for NFU Cymru, and over 30 years as a school governor, chairing four governing bodies.”
Other members of the Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board include:
Gemma Haines is a traditional beef and sheep enterprise farmer based in south Wales. In 2022, Gemma was elected to the Board of Conservators for the common.
In 2023, she was elected as chair of the Younger Voices Committee for FUW. Previously she has served as the secretary for the Highland Cattle Club of Wales.
Roger Lewisis a dairy farmer from Pembrokeshire. Lewisis is a farmer representative on the delivery board of the Pembrokeshire Project.
His other roles include chair of the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group, a member of GB Calf Strategy bovine TB subgroup and a member of the DEFRA bovine TB Cattle Vaccine Central Core Group.
Evan Roberts is a dairy farmer from Holywell in North Wales. Roberts was previously the chair of the North Wales Regional TB Eradication Board for four years, as well as Clwyd County Chair for NFU Cymru.
Rogers was also involved in the Welsh Government Task and Finish Group on bovine TB.
Alan Gardner was born on a Montgomeryshire hill farm where he was the Young Farmers county chair.
Gardner has recently completed a term as an elected director of the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) and previously served as the FUW nominated director.
Prof. Glyn Hewinson in his role as chair of the TB Technical Advisory Group to provide a link between both groups.
The professor has a wealth of knowledge and is recognised as a world-leading scientific expert in Bovine TB. He is the Sêr Cymru Chair of the TB Centre of Excellence at Aberystwyth University.
Sian Evanswas born and raised on a beef and sheep family-run farm on Ynys Môn.
She graduated with degrees in zoology, veterinary medicine and science. She has practiced as a veterinary surgeon in north and south-west Wales, and currently audits official veterinarians and approved tuberculin testers while they conduct on-farm TB testing.
Philip Thomas is representing the British Veterinary Association Wales branch. Thomas has practiced as a veterinary surgeon and owned veterinary practices in mid and south Wales.
He has been a director of Iechyd Da, our Veterinary Delivery Partner organisation in south Wales, since its formation and is also a director of the Wales Veterinary Science Centre in Aberystwyth.
Thomas has served on the Southwest Wales Regional TB Eradication Board. He has been a BVA member since 1986 and on the BVA Welsh branch council for almost two years.
Representative for the Farmers’ Union of Wales: The FUW’s mission is to advance and protect Wales’ family farms, both nationally and individually, in order to fulfil the union’s vision of thriving, sustainable, family farms in Wales.
Representative for the National Farmers’ Union Cymru: The NFU Cymru is a leading agricultural organisation that represents and champions farmers and growers in Wales.
The organisation the heart of Welsh farming and their aim is to protect members interests and put in place the conditions that enable productive, profitable and progressive farming businesses to thrive and grow.
Three ex-officio members: the chief veterinary officer for Wales, the head of Welsh Government Bovine TB Policy and a representative from the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
“Partnership working is at the heart of the Bovine TB Eradication Programme here in Wales.
“I am pleased to see farmers and both farming unions at the heart of this new Bovine TB Eradication Programme Board, and the governance arrangements we have committed to – and are now in place,” Irranca-Davies said.
