South Wales Central MS and former Welsh Conservative Senedd Leader Andrew RT Davies has slammed Welsh Government’s decision to impose restrictions on moving livestock from England into Wales, saying it was taken “on the altar of stupidity”.
Responding to a statement in the Senedd by Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, Mr Davies called for one zone linking England and Wales to reflect the reality that the Welsh agricultural industry is dependent on cross-border trade.
Mr Davies said:
“Senedd ministers’ decision to impose an English livestock ban was taken on the altar of stupidity.
“The Deputy First Minister can criticise my tone all he likes.
“But he should get out and speak to Welsh farming communities who will be devasted by his separatist decision.”
ENDS
Please find below the Senedd’s Record of Proceedings from 17th June 2025
https://record.senedd.wales/Plenary/15147
Andrew RT Davies
Deputy First Minister, could I reiterate the point that Sam Kurtz made? How bitterly disappointing it is that no availability was made of officials to elected Members on such a key decision that you have taken that, in my mind, puts the livestock industry here in Wales on the altar of stupidity. This makes no sense whatsoever. You should have gone for one zone linking England and Wales, because the trading routes of livestock are east-west, west-east, and that is of critical importance to the future of the livestock industry here in Wales. And to put it into context, this is a bit like telling a retailer, in the run-up to Christmas, that they can’t get any of the goods that they need to help their customers get their presents—the goods that they need to keep their business going. Because we’re going into the key breeding season, and we’re going into the key restocking season come the autumn, so it is vital that you indicate today what sort of conditions you require to reverse this decision and actually get back to a sense of normality, so that those key trading routes can be re-established east to west, west to east, and we have livestock markets thriving, we have livestock farms thriving, and we have a country that actually is proud of its livestock industry, rather than a Government trying to shut it down with such foolish decisions.
Huw Irranca-Davies
Well, Andrew, I deeply regret the tone and the substance of your contribution, I really do. Because when you describe this as a decision made on the altar of stupidity, I look forward to the next time you actually speak to your on-farm vet, or you speak to the chief veterinary officer or any member of the veterinary profession, because what you’re actually doing is saying that their evidence-led approach and input to this is stupid—stupid. [Interruption.] That’s what you’ve just said. You’ve just described that. So, I do regret the tone of this, because as I described, Llywydd, this is a finely balanced decision. It’s a decision that we will keep under review as well. It’s not an altar of stupidity, and I’m certainly not going to get into political knockabout with this.
But let me just say to you, Andrew, the costs we can see, these are not simply the costs in this current mechanism that I’ve put in place, but, if you look at other countries across Europe, the costs in the Netherlands, where severe impacts of BTV-3 were reported, were in the order of €100 million. I will not in all good faith and good conscience open the door and invite bluetongue into Wales, because those costs will fall upon the Welsh farming community. So, please, let’s just have a rational discussion about this, and I will keep this policy under review, as I’ve said so many times, but for now it is vitally important that we do our best to keep the disease out of Wales.