Labour’s pledge to stop badger culling by 2029 could be achieved, but only with a major increase in testing and vaccination, according to a government-commissioned report.
Sir Charles Godfray, who authored the review, said ministers currently have only a “small chance” of meeting the 2038 target for eradicating bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in England without greater investment. More than 210,000 badgers have been culled since 2013 to reduce the spread of bTB, which costs taxpayers and the cattle industry around £150m annually.
The report stresses that badgers can transmit bTB to cattle, but culling is not the only solution. Godfray recommended expanding vaccination for both cattle and badgers, microchipping cattle to monitor movements, and using more accurate blood tests alongside standard skin tests.
“Vaccination is a realistic way to stop bovine TB in badgers, but considerable work will have to be done to scale it up so it becomes viable,” Godfray said. “We saw during the Covid-19 pandemic how things can move so much faster when there is real focus on the disease. We want to see the same for this disease.”
The report noted that insufficient investment in Defra, APHA, and local authorities hampers bTB control, but timely spending could save money in the long term.
Prof James Wood, a veterinary epidemiologist at Cambridge, added that cattle vaccination offers significant opportunities to reduce disease transmission, particularly in large herds.
Farming minister Daniel Zeichner welcomed the findings, highlighting a record year for badger vaccinations in 2024, plans for a new vaccinator field force, and ongoing cattle vaccine research. A full strategy to eradicate bTB by 2038 is expected to be published next year.
