THE plight of a few cows in a farm may seem of little concern. To the farmers, bovine TB can be devastating news.

Killing herds of animals to prevent the disease spreading can be a stressful and emotional affair.

Many farmers have been working with cattle their whole lives and reared each of them from birth.

The latest statistics will make grim reading for them.

But it should also alarm even the most urbanite of us.

The spread of the disease will result in further culling to try and combat the problem.

In doing so, demand for beef and dairy products will increase compared to the diminishing supply.

And that results in the price of your pint of milk or Sunday roast joint going up.

At a time when prices are increasing and wages continue to stagnate, this additional cost will hit pockets hard.

The debate about whether badger culling should take place to try and stop the spread of bovine TB will rumble on.

But action needs to be taken now to save the livelihoods of the county’s farmers and stop soaring prices.