The Government is driving forward an ambitious strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England by 2038. This strategy sets out a range of evidence-led interventions to tackle the disease in both cattle and wildlife, including strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, introducing new help for herd owners to improve biosecurity measures on farms and to help manage down the risk of bringing the disease into their herds and supporting the deployment of badger vaccination.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has undertaken government-funded badger vaccination in several areas where four-year intensive badger culling has ended. Defra is continuing to bolster capacity to deploy even more badger vaccination in post-cull areas from this year.
I am aware that the evidence suggests that the badger cull has been effective in reducing bovine TB incidence in cull areas by 45 per cent after three years of culling and by 50 per cent after four years. TB statistics for England show that disease incidence in the High Risk Area has been decreasing since 2017. It is my understanding that the percentage of cattle herds under TB restrictions in England is at its lowest level since 2010.
Developing new and better tools is an important part of the Government’s programme of work. The Government continues to fund major research, including on cattle vaccination and improved diagnostics. That funding has already resulted in a major breakthrough by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in developing a test that can differentiate TB-infected among vaccinated cattle (a DIVA test). World-leading vaccination trials in cattle began in England and Wales in June 2021. Ministers’ aim is to have a deployable TB vaccine for cattle within the next few years. This is an issue I will continue to follow closely.