3 Oct 2023
Plans for a revised policy, which could allow the controversial practice to continue in certain areas, have been outlined at the annual OV Conference.
Allister Webb
Job Title
A senior Government vet has insisted “strong evidence” indicates the effectiveness of badger culling in reducing bTB among cattle in England.
The claim was made as the annual Official Vet (OV) Conference heard the controversial practice is set to remain part of the strategy to tackle the disease, despite fierce opposition.
Delegates were also told that some key indicators of disease prevalence are now at their lowest levels in at least 15 years, based on latest figures.
However, Ricardo de la Rua-Domenech, APHA’s bTB policy vet advisor to Defra, warned much more needed to be done if the aim of making England officially free of the disease by 2038 was to be realised. He told the online event: “There is no room for complacency.”
The culling controversy has been re-energised in recent weeks following the publication of research from Northern Ireland, which indicated bTB was far more commonly transmitted from cattle to badgers than the other way round.
Anti-cull campaigners have also warned that the latest round of culling licences, which could allow for the deaths of more than 50,000 badgers on top of the 210,000 estimated to have been killed since the policy’s launch in 2013, could push the species to the brink of extinction in many cull areas.
Present operations are due to end in late 2025, following approval of the last intensive culling licences last year. However, Dr de la Rua-Domenech said targeted culling, deployed alongside badger vaccination, would remain an option where an epidemiological assessment indicated it could be necessary “in specific clusters or areas of high and increasing incidence”, and where badgers were believed to be a factor.
Although the idea was heavily criticised by opponents of culling when details first emerged earlier this month, the conference heard a public consultation process is expected before the end of the year.
Dr de la Rua-Domenech acknowledged the culling issue was “highly polarised”, but said current assessments of 52 cull areas, which have been submitted to a scientific journal for publication, showed a 56% drop in disease breakdowns after four years of culling activity.
He stressed that no single measure could combat the disease on its own, but added: “There is strong evidence that culling badgers contributes to the reduction of TB incidence in cattle herds.”
A similarly optimistic picture was also outlined from the latest statistics for TB levels in England, covering the 12 months to the end of June 2023.
Although a total of 19,216 cattle were slaughtered with the disease in that period, the session heard that figure represented a 21% fall year-on-year and is the lowest annual figure recorded since February 2008.
Dr de la Rua-Domenech added that overall herd incidence in England was at its lowest level since 2007, while the number of individual breakdowns had fallen to a 19-year low.
But he cautioned that the level of breakdowns among herds that had experienced infection within the preceding three years remains “unacceptably high”.
Another method through which it is hoped the aim of TB-free status can be achieved is through the development and extended usage of vaccines for both cattle and badgers.
Second-phase field trials, assessing the safety of a candidate cattle vaccination known as CattleBCG, are currently underway, with data collection expected to be completed by the end of the year. A consultation on the proposed roll-out of the vaccine is expected to be launched next year.
Dr de la Rua-Domenech said more research was needed in areas such as establishing the duration of immunity the jab offers.
He also warned there were no guarantees that approval to use the jab would be granted, but added: “We are closer to vaccinating cattle in England and Wales than ever before.”
Work to vaccinate badgers in six post-cull areas, covering a total area of around 1,000 sq km, is also continuing as Dr de la Rua-Domenech stressed the longer-term focus of policy was on expanding that programme.
