Pembrokeshire's livestock producers are waiting to hear if they will have parity with farmers in England when it comes to paying for bovine TB pre-movement testing.

Defra has announced a package of financial support for English farmers to help them deal with the added financial burden of testing.

But in Welsh regions like Pembrokeshire farmers will have to foot the bill.

Whitland dairy producer and NFU Cymru president, Dai Davies, is urging the Welsh Assembly Government to follow Defra's lead.

He told the Assembly's environment, planning and countryside minister, Carwyn Jones, that the cost of pre-movement testing would hit Welsh farmers particularly hard because farms in Wales tended to be small and less intensive. "The simple economics of calling out a vet means that a producer wishing to sell a small number of animals will stand a far greater cost per head than someone selling a large number of animals,' said Mr Davies, of Llwyndewi Isaf, near Whitland.

The farms that will be subject to testing will be the very farms that are bearing the already heavy burden of living in TB hotspot areas, he pointed out.

NFU Cymru has stressed its concern that there was no clear strategy for action on TB diseased wildlife. "With pre-movement testing, farmers in Wales will shortly be playing an even bigger role in tackling this dreadful disease but it is for government to take action on the issue of diseased wildlife, not farmers,'' added Mr Davies.

"Pre-movement testing is only a small part of the solution and if the difficult decision to tackle wildlife disease reservoirs is not taken soon then I can only but imagine that the incidences of bovine TB will simply continue to increase."