A Pembrokeshire dairy farmer is quitting the industry after a cycle of bovine TB breakdowns.

Steve Evans is the fourth generation of his family to farm at Spittal Cross Farm but that farm has now been sold.

Mr Evans, who has been a leading figure in the No Farmers, No Food protests, said bovine TB was one of the reasons why the family had decided to cease milk production.

In the last 18 months alone, more than 240 cows of their Holstein-Friesians cows were culled as a result of the disease.

In an emotional video filmed in his 480-cow cubicle shed, now devoid of stock as the herd has already been sold, he spoke of how his family’s journey had ended after 100 years at the farm as the new owners will take over in a couple of weeks.

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“For my own sanity and my family’s sanity, this is absolutely the right thing to do,’’ he said.

He described it as “gut wrenching’’, to enter the empty sheds with not an animal to be seen, to be leaving behind a way of life he had only ever known.

“In 20 days’ time we hand over because we have sold and got out,’’ he said.

“TB has done a huge amount of this. You know when you are dealing with losing so many animals it is absolutely the right thing to do for us, to remove ourselves from such a catastrophic situation as crazy as and as hard and as gut wrenching as it is.’’

Mr Evans admitted that he was nervous about what the future holds but added: “For the Evans family on this farm, it is over and out.’’

He said he was grateful for the support of the farming community through what had been a very difficult period.

The number of TB-infected cattle culled in Wales has risen to its highest levels since 2009.

There were 11,789 reactors slaughtered in Wales between July 2023 and June 2024, which is a 24% increase year on year.