The UK government has announced that badger culling will be phased out in England over the next five years, signaling a significant shift in its strategy to combat bovine tuberculosis (bTB).
The new approach will prioritize vaccinating badgers instead of killing them, with the aim of eradicating the disease in England by 2038.
This move forms part of a broader overhaul of the nation’s TB eradication plan, which also includes the acceleration of efforts to develop a vaccine for cattle.
The plan, which was revealed on Friday by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), represents a major pivot in the country’s long-running and contentious efforts to control bovine TB.
The disease has been a persistent problem in the UK, particularly affecting cattle herds and causing significant economic losses for farmers.
In the past decade alone, more than 278,000 cattle have been compulsorily slaughtered to prevent the spread of the disease, and the culling of approximately 230,000 badgers has been conducted as part of these efforts.
A New Approach to an Old Problem
Bovine TB, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, is one of the most challenging livestock diseases in the UK, costing taxpayers over £100 million annually.
For many years, badger culling has been a key element of the government’s strategy, based on the premise that badgers, which can carry the disease, contribute to its spread among cattle.
However, the effectiveness and ethics of culling have been hotly debated, with animal welfare groups and some scientists arguing that it is both cruel and ineffective.
DEFRA’s new plan aims to end badger culling by the end of this Parliament, which could be as early as 2029. Instead, the government will focus on expanding the use of badger vaccination.
A “badger vaccinator field force” will be established to increase the number of badgers vaccinated in the wild, and studies will be conducted to assess the impact of these vaccinations on both badgers and cattle.
Daniel Zeichner, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, emphasized that the new strategy is part of a comprehensive package designed to eradicate the disease for good. “Bovine TB has devastated British farmers and wildlife for far too long,” Zeichner said.
“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.”
Ongoing Criticism from Animal Welfare Groups
Despite the government’s shift towards vaccination, the announcement has not been met with universal praise.
Campaigners at Badger Trust, an animal welfare group that has long opposed culling, have criticized the government for allowing this year’s culls, which have already been licensed, to proceed.
Tens of thousands of badgers could still be killed under the existing licenses before the cull is fully phased out.
Peter Hambly, chief executive of Badger Trust, expressed disappointment that the government’s new strategy still places badgers in the crosshairs. “The new announcement on bovine TB keeps badgers in the firing line,” Hambly said.
“It focuses on badgers rather than cattle – when it is cattle that are the main spreaders of this cattle disease. It admits the government doesn’t know how many badgers are left or how many even have bTB. They haven’t counted them and haven’t tested them but continue to slaughter them.”
The Badger Trust has long argued that the government should focus more on controlling the spread of bTB among cattle themselves, rather than targeting badgers.
The organization has pointed out that biosecurity measures and better management practices on farms could significantly reduce transmission of the disease among livestock.
National Farmers Union: “Culling Must Not Be Ruled Out”
While animal welfare groups have welcomed the move towards vaccination, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has taken a more cautious stance.
The NFU acknowledged that vaccination trials are encouraging but warned against ruling out culling altogether.
The organization believes that culling has played an important role in controlling the disease and should remain an option in areas where evidence shows it to be effective.
Tom Bradshaw, President of the NFU, stressed the importance of continuing to use all available tools to combat bovine TB.
“Badger culling provides success and has a part to play in a strategy where there is evidence that it is the right tool to contain and reduce TB,” Bradshaw said.
“I urge Ministers to move at pace and with a clear view of the science. This terrible disease continues to plague farmers and their livestock, and while significant elements of the government’s proposed TB strategy are still being researched and are not yet deployable at scale, they must not overlook the contribution of the tried, tested, and successful disease control model.”
Vaccination of Badgers and Cattle
Under the new strategy, the government plans to significantly ramp up vaccination efforts. The badger vaccination program will be expanded with the establishment of a dedicated team of vaccinators, and studies will be carried out to monitor the effects of vaccination on the incidence of bovine TB in cattle.
Additionally, work on developing a cattle vaccine will be accelerated, with field trials expected to take place in the coming months. This represents a major step forward in efforts to find a long-term solution to bovine TB.
Christine Middlemiss, the government’s chief veterinary officer, acknowledged the complexities of combating the disease and emphasized that no single approach would provide a solution.
“There is no one way to combat bovine tuberculosis, and our new strategy will continue to be led by the very best scientific and epidemiological evidence,” Middlemiss said.
As part of the new plan, the first badger population survey in over a decade will be carried out to determine the current size of the badger population and assess the impact of culling over the past ten years.
The results of this survey will provide critical data to guide future vaccination efforts and assess the health of the badger population.
The Road Ahead
With the government setting a target to end all badger culling by the end of this Parliament, the next few years will be crucial in determining whether vaccination and other measures can effectively control bovine TB.
The stakes are high for both farmers and wildlife, as the disease continues to cause significant economic and environmental damage.
For now, the government’s new strategy represents a shift towards a more humane and potentially more sustainable approach to managing bovine TB.
However, with strong opinions on both sides of the debate, the future of the UK’s battle against this disease remains uncertain.
The coming years will test whether vaccination, improved biosecurity, and other interventions can succeed where culling alone has struggled.
