Member
Andrew R.T. Davies South Wales Central
WQ88645 (e) Tabled on 13/07/2023

What assessment has the Minister made of the role of badger culling in efforts in England to tackle bovine TB?

Answered by Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd | Answered on 21/07/2023

The latest published assessment on the impact of badger culling was the Downs et al (2019) report, which only assessed the impact on two cull areas with four years of culling.

Assessing effects from four years of industry-led badger culling in England on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle, 2013–2017 | Scientific Reports (nature.com) 

The evidence was not clear and did not give a strong indication that the badger culling policy alone was reducing incidence. The falls in incidence in those areas also coincided with a downward trend in incidence for the High-Risk Area in England. Potentially other factors were also influencing falls, such as increased sensitivity of testing and provision of biosecurity advice.

The most recent published Monitoring Report (September 2022) provides the incidence and prevalence rates of the culling areas from 2013-21 but does not assess the impacts of the badger culling policy.

Bovine TB: incidence of TB in cattle in licensed badger control areas in 2013 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 Following their review of the Bovine TB Strategy in England, Defra are replacing culling with badger vaccination to prevent the spread of TB from wildlife.