Five thousand cattle slaughtered according to NFU Cymru

A farmers' union says 5,000 cattle have been slaughtered in Wales in the first half of this year as a result of bovine TB.

In a speech today the National Farmers Union Cymru will criticise the Welsh government for its badger vaccination policy saying it offers little hope.

The union claims that in some areas so many badgers are already infected that the vaccination policy will make hardly any difference and is a waste of money.

But the Welsh Assembly Government has hit back at the union's claims, saying they are not looking at the long term benefits as a science review had indicated that repeated vaccinations would build up immunity in the badger population and over time this would reduce the risk of transmission to cattle.

The union wants to see controversial culling introduced alongside vaccinations which happens in England. It claims farmers in Wales have slaughtered over 75,000 cattle in the last decade due to TB.

At the Welsh Dairy event in Carmarthen today it will say vaccination has a role to play in eradicating the disease but it is not appropriate on its own.