The UK government has launched a new bovine tuberculosis (TB) eradication strategy to end the badger cull and focus on ramping up cattle control measures, wildlife monitoring and badger vaccinations.
The eradication strategy, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) today (Friday, August 30), was co-designed alongside farmers, vets, scientists and conservationists.
Over the past decade, 278,000 cattle have been compulsorily slaughtered and over 230,000 badgers have been killed in efforts to control the disease, costing taxpayers more than £100 million every year.
Defra said the new strategy marks a significant step-change in approach to tackle the “devastating disease”, driving down TB rates and saving farmer livelihoods and businesses.
The work to end the badger cull starts immediately and includes:
- First badger population survey in over a decade: The last major badger survey was carried out between 2011/13, leaving policy makers with no clear idea of the impact culling techniques have on badger populations. The government will work at pace to launch a new survey this winter;
- New national wildlife surveillance programme: The development of a new national wildlife surveillance programme will provide an up-to-date understanding of disease in badgers and other wildlife such as deer. Together with updated estimates of badger abundance, this will unlock a data-driven approach to inform how and where TB vaccines and other eradication measures are rapidly deployed to drive down TB rates and protect farmers’ livelihoods, Defra said;
- Establish a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force: A new Badger Vaccinator Field Force will increase badger vaccination at pace to drive down TB rates and protect badgers;
- Badger vaccination study: To supplement the Field Force, the government will analyse the effect of badger vaccination on the incidence of TB in cattle to encourage farmers to take part and provide greater confidence that doing so will have a positive effect on their cattle.
Vaccines
In addition, Defra said it will accelerate work on the development of a cattle vaccine, which it said is at the “forefront” of solutions to help eradicate the disease.
The next stage of field trials will commence in the coming months.
Defra’s aim is to deliver an effective cattle TB vaccination strategy within the next few years to accelerate progress towards achieving officially TB free (OTF) status for England.
It will consider a range of further measures including boosting cattle testing, reducing the spread of disease through cattle movements, and deploying badger vaccination on a wider, landscape scale.
Bovine TB
Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner said: “Bovine tuberculosis has devastated British farmers and wildlife for far too long.
“It has placed dreadful hardship and stress on farmers who continue to suffer the loss of valued herds and has taken a terrible toll on our badger populations.
“No more. Our comprehensive TB eradication package will allow us to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament and stop the spread of this horrific disease.”
Chief veterinary officer (CVO) Christine Middlemiss said bovine TB is one of the most “difficult and prolonged” disease challenges the country faces.
“There is no single way to combat it, and a refreshed strategy will continue to be led by the very best scientific and epidemiological evidence,” she said.
“With the disease on a downward trajectory, we are at a crucial point. Working in collaboration with government and stakeholders will be the only way we achieve our target to eradicate bovine tuberculosis in England by 2038.”
Chair of the bTB Partnership, John Cross, said: “As chair of the bTB Partnership for England, I am delighted to hear Minister Zeichner’s intention to refresh the current bTB strategy.
“10 years after its launch, the time is right to look again at the tools we use to tackle this persistent disease.
“Bovine TB is the common enemy, not farmers or wildlife groups. Only by working together, will we reach our goal.”
