A dairy farming business which has lost more than 300 pedigree cows and youngstock during an 11-year cycle of bovine TB herd breakdowns says it wouldn’t still be producing milk if Wales had moved to the table valuation system being proposed by the Welsh Government.

The Brook, at Tybroughton, Whitchurch, has been run as a dairy farm since Mark Mottershead’s paternal grandparents bought it.

He now farms there with his wife, Susie, and parents, Richard and Sue.

At the heart of their system is the 300-cow Deedale pedigree herd of Holsteins, but they have had to mourn the loss of many cow families to TB.

“You have to work harder when you have TB, at keeping the genetics of your herd strong to carry you through, because there is no flexibility to cull under-performers or sell out of the herd. You need every single animal,’’ says Susie.

It was in 2012 that the herd suffered its first disease breakdown. Since then there has only been one five-month period when there have been no movement restrictions in place.

The loss of more than 300 animals has been a huge blow to the business and without the TB valuation system in place in Wales, where every animal is valued on its individual merits, the Mottersheads reckon they wouldn’t be producing milk now.

“If we were in England, where they have a table valuation system, I really don’t think we would still be in business,’’ says Mark.

He worries about the consequences if Wales moves to this system, as set out in a recent Welsh government consultation.

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The business is already losing 50% of the market value of animals they buy in as replacements when they are earmarked for slaughter after testing.

The herd grew from 150 cows to 250 overnight in April 2022 when the Mottersheads bought a neighbouring pedigree herd.

They had spent 12 months wrangling with the government to secure a licence to move the stock.

“Our neighbour was down with TB too and was desperate to retire. He was at his wits end and it made sense for us to take the opportunity to buy the herd but the government wouldn’t let us,’’ says Mark.

But then, without warning, they were given a 24 hour window in April 2022 to act.

“They told us on a Thursday afternoon that we could move the animals the following day and that would be our one and only chance,’’ says Mark.

“We were milking 190 cows through the parlour on the Friday morning and 300 that afternoon.’’

With the Hully herd came some renowned cow families, including Hebe, Nugget, Pam and Bang.

While Mark and Susie sum up the last few years as the “hardest farming years we have had’’, they have never stopped looking forward with optimism.

“What drives us is our focus on being more efficient, sustainable and with a determination to do things better, farming to the best of our ability and building a legacy for the next generation,’’ says Susie.