Controversial efforts to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) in cattle are likely to fail unless there’s greater urgency and funding from the government, scientists have warned.
The disease has caused bitter divisions between farmers and wildlife groups because of the use of badger culls to reduce transmission of the disease to cattle.
The government has vowed to end the cull in 2029 and vaccinate badgers instead, with a target of eliminating the disease in English cattle herds by 2038.
Now a scientific review of the strategy has warned it will only succeed if the government rapidly rolls out badger jabs and steps up infection control within cattle herds.
Professor Sir Charles Godfray, who led the government-commission review, said: “We’re obviously fully aware of the great pressures of the public finances at the moment.
“Nevertheless, we believe that investment in bovine TB control now will save money in the future.”
The disease has sparked tensions over the use of badger culls. Pic: PA
A huge cost to farming
TB continues to devastate British farming and wildlife almost halfway through a 25-year strategy to eliminate the disease.
In the last decade alone, 274,000 cattle have been compulsorily slaughtered in England, and over 230,000 badgers have been culled since 2013.
Last year, compensation paid out for slaughtered cattle was almost £23m.
Jeremy Clarkson revealed in July that his farm “gone down with TB.”
“Bad news from Diddly Squat,” he said in a post on X. “Everyone here is absolutely devastated.”
Genetic tracing of the TB bug shows most cattle are infected by other animals in the herd.
But the original source of the disease is likely to be wildlife or the movement of infected cattle from elsewhere.
Vaccination of badgers will become a key part of the elimination strategy once culling stops. But the report says there are currently significant challenges, including difficulties in catching sufficient badgers.
Pic: iStock
‘Greater urgency’ needed
Prof Godfray said: “Considerable effort will be required to scale up vaccination, so that it comes viable, both economically and logistically.”
But he added better biosecurity and testing was also needed to stop the disease being spread by cattle movements between farms.
Hopes are high for a cattle vaccine which is currently being assessed by government veterinary regulators.
Professor James Wood, from the University of Cambridge, and who was also part of the review team, said: “This is a very exciting advance, but we feel that greater urgency could be applied here.
“Cattle vaccination presents huge opportunities for protecting cattle and reducing transmission in herds.”
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The government said it would consider the review’s findings. A new strategy to eradicate the disease will be published next year.
Farming minister Daniel Zeichner said: “The government is determined to eradicate bovine TB – a devastating disease that destroys too many farmers’ livelihoods and has led to the culling of thousands of badgers.
“Following a record year for badger vaccination in 2024, a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force will be deployed next year.
“We are also developing a cattle vaccine and, along with the Scottish and Welsh governments, have invested over £40m into vaccine related research.”
