A region of Wales where cattle were once considered to be at only moderate risk of contracting bovine TB now has its highest number of restricted herds in more than 10 years, new data shows.

At 8.2 per cent, the region known as intermediate TB area north, which covers the Mold, Wrexham and Llangollen areas, now has more restricted herds that the high-risk high east TB area.

The figures published by the Welsh Government cover the period April to June 2021 and give a snapshot of the disease picture for the quarter.

In the intermediate north region, there were 74 open incidents among the area’s 903 herds at the end of this period, the highest since the beginning of 2010.

However, the difference in new incidents and closed incidents narrowed in April to June 2021 after spiking in the first three months of the year.

The government says these increases are driven by a cluster of breakdowns near the border with England.

In Wales overall, 94.8 per cent of herds were officially TB-free in the second quarter of 2021, slightly higher than at the same point two years earlier.

In the low TB area, in north west Wales, new and open incidents have increased since the beginning of 2020.

There were 23 new incidents during the first quarter of this year, the second highest since 2010, driven in part to a cluster of incidents in the Denbigh and Conwy area.

There were 40 open incidents at the end of June 2021, again the second highest since 2010.

However, these numbers are very low compared to the other TB areas in Wales and 98.6 per cent of herds in this area are TB-free.