The warning comes from Wales' chief veterinary officer Christine Glossop. It follows the recent cases of TB which have now been linked to a dispersal sale in Cumbria that took place towards the end of February. The cattle from this sale were moved to numerous premises across Great Britain, some of which were in Wales.
The animals were from a low incidence area in England where cattle are only tested every 4 years, one of the main aims of the Welsh Governments TB eradication programme is to prevent the disease and take action to remove it as quickly as possible. Around 94% of cattle farms in Wales are considered to be TB free. All the animals which are originating from Wales will test negative for TB before being moved. The issue is the cattle from other parts of the UK may not have been tested for up to 4 years. Despite the controls and procedures Wales has in place it is still not possible to fully eliminate the risk of cattle being infected. All Welsh farmers should exercise cautions when buying cattle from outside of Wales.
The Welsh government says it is working with the Livestock industry to consider what information could be made available to buyers at markets to give them a better understanding of the potential TB risk of cattle they are considering buying.