Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Rebecca Evans, visited a north Pembrokeshire farm to see the badger vaccination process first-hand last week.

The farm is within the Intensive Action Area (IAA) where the third year of the Welsh Government’s five year badger vaccination project is underway.

The vaccination project, which aims to develop a degree of immunity to TB within the badger population, is part of the Welsh Government's comprehensive TB eradication programme.

In the first year of its badger vaccination project the Welsh Government successfully caught and vaccinated more than 1,400 badgers. This was followed by around 1,350 badgers in the second year, while provisional figures indicate that more than 1,000 badgers have been successfully vaccinated so far this year.

Rebecca Evans said: "Bovine TB is one of the biggest challenges facing Wales’ farming industry, so I was keen to visit the Intensive Action Area in Pembrokeshire to see how the vaccination project is being carried out.

“I am pleased to have met those who undertake the vaccinations and I was impressed by the professional nature of the project.

"Participation in this project is entirely voluntary and I am grateful to farmers and landowners for their ongoing effort and cooperation as we work together to tackle this devastating disease.

"We are continuing to carefully monitor the results of vaccination and our wider eradication programme to ensure we are making good progress towards our goal of a TB free Wales."

The vaccination work is undertaken in cycles and is expected to continue until the end of October. To date, five of eight planned vaccination cycles in the IAA have been completed.