Guitar and rock legend Brian May dropped into Ceredigion this week to address ways in which the devastating bovine TB should be addressed.

Sir Brian, who remains a staunch anti-cull campaigner, began researching the issue ten years ago when he sponsored the Gatcombe dairy farm in Devon to test strategies to combat the disease.

The farm has since trialled a series of alternative tests for detecting TB, as well as improving biosecurity measures and slurry management.

As a result of their findings, Aberystwyth professor Glyn Hewinson invited Sir Brian to address an audience of vets, farmers and academics at an event that took place in the Sêr Cymru Centre of Excellence for Bovine Tuberculosis at Aberystwyth University earlier this week.

“I began researching bovine TB ten years ago, when I founded the Save-Me Trust, and together we embarked on a mission to find out the truth about cows and badgers and the scourge of bovine TB,” said Sir Brian May.

“Aberystywth University is undoubtedly one of the highest level research centres in the world for disease control, and Professor Glyn Hewinson is himself an acknowledged leader in the fight against the bovine TB pathogen.

“And after speaking to some very angry Welsh farmers this week, I’m hoping my work will pave the way for a better understanding between the various stakeholders in the fight against Bovine TB, and will eventually lead to a better life for farmers, cows, and also badgers in the UK.”

Meanwhile Professor Glyn Hewinson, who is Head of the Sêr Cymru Centre of Excellence for Bovine Tuberculosis at Aberystwyth University, said that Sir Brian’s talk was an important way of ‘promoting a dialogue’ about the devastating disease.

“Here at the Centre of Excellence in Aberystwyth, we engage with all stakeholders in our joint endeavour to find new and better ways of combatting bovine tuberculosis,” he said.

“We aim to provide a strong scientific evidence base to support the eradication of the disease and to grow and develop academic research expertise in Wales.”

Sir Brian May has long been an outspoken critic of the practice of culling the badger population in the UK, which is used to stop the spread of bovine TB.  He believes the animals are being scapegoated and killed needlessly.

Adamant that they are not the cause of the spread of infection, and following his ten-year research into the causes of the disease, he now believes he has the evidence to prove his theory, stop the cull and help cure the cattle.

Earlier this summer a dcoumentary entitled 'The Badger Cull and Me' followed the rock star as he took his case to a sceptical farming community in a bid to persuade enough of them to back his radical plans.

Meanwhile Sir Brian is confident that the research currently being carried out at Aberystwyth University will pave the way towards a greater understanding.

“It’s clear that Aberystwyth University is doing some very important research in this field, and their work deserves support from all involved so that the scientific research on this disease can continue apace,” he said.

“Armed with the experience of 10 years of battling the disease at Gatcombe Farm, our views are very different from those of the ‘powers that be’ in farming.

“But I believe we have the solution that everyone needs – even if it is a long way from playing the guitar.”