Badger culling to tackle bovine TB to be phased out, ministers announce

Ministers today announced the phasing out of intensive badger culling to tackle TB in livestock as moves are made to deploy a cattle vaccine for the disease.

The next phase of the Government’s strategy to tackle bovine tuberculosis in cattle will involve field trials of a vaccine, with work accelerated to deploy it within the next five years.

The environment department said there were also plans to vaccinate more badgers — which can transmit TB to livestock — against the disease.

In a statement, Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “Bovine TB is a slow-moving and insidious disease leading to the slaughter of over 30,000 cattle every year and considerable trauma for farmers as they suffer the loss of highly prized and valued herds.

“The badger cull has led to a significant reduction in the disease as demonstrated by recent academic research. 

“But no one wants to continue the cull of this protected species indefinitely so, once the weight of disease in wildlife has been addressed, we will accelerate other elements of our strategy including improved diagnostics and cattle vaccination to sustain the downward trajectory of the disease.”

The UK’s chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “Whilst there is no single way to combat this complex disease, cattle vaccination will be a new tool for our multi-pronged approach to tackle it and importantly prevent it, providing vital support to our farming communities.

“The UK can harness its world-leading science to develop solutions that could also be valuable to other countries.”