A NEW report which warns that "if bovine TB is not rolled back there would be dire and widespread consequences for the agricultural and rural business sectors of North Gloucestershire and the South West" is entirely justified, according to the region's NFU.

The NFU has welcomed the detailed assessment by the University of Exeter of the economic impact of bovine tuberculosis on farmers in the region.

Although the current compensation system for those hit by the disease is as fair as possible given legal constraints on the government, the NFU has warned that proposals to cut payments could well be the straw that breaks the camel's back, forcing many out of livestock farming altogether.

Anthony Gibson, NFU director for Gloucestershire, said: "Although the study detects only modest current impact on the wider rural economy, it also reveals that one in six of the farmers surveyed had diversified away from cattle to reduce risk to their businesses, a trend which, if it gathered momentum, would have profound knock-on consequences for many other rural businesses.

"We've always been keen to work with government on developing an all-inclusive partnership strategy for getting to grips with bovine TB, but the best answer to the cost of competition is to eliminate the disease, which means dealing with its reservoir in the wildlife populations, principally diseased badgers."