The UK government has unveiled a comprehensive new strategy to combat bovine tuberculosis (bTB), a persistent and challenging animal disease affecting the farming community and wildlife. The multi-faceted approach includes a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the spread of the disease and protecting both cattle and wildlife.
Key Components of the Strategy:
- First Badger Population Survey in Over a Decade: A new survey will be launched this winter to estimate badger abundance and population recovery, providing critical insight into the impact of widespread culling over the past ten years.
- New National Wildlife Surveillance Programme: This initiative will offer an up-to-date understanding of TB prevalence in badgers and other wildlife, such as deer, helping to shape future control measures.
- Establishment of a Badger Vaccinator Field Force: A dedicated unit will increase badger vaccination efforts to create healthier badger populations less susceptible to catching and transmitting TB.
- Badger Vaccination Study: The government will rapidly analyze the impact of badger vaccination on TB incidence in cattle to encourage greater farmer participation in vaccination programs.
- Acceleration of Cattle Vaccine Development: Field trials for a cattle TB vaccine will begin in the coming months, with the goal of delivering an effective vaccination strategy within the next few years.
Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss emphasized the importance of these initiatives, stating, “Bovine tuberculosis is one of the most difficult and prolonged animal disease challenges we face. There is no single way to combat it, and a refreshed strategy will continue to be led by the very best scientific and epidemiological evidence.”
The strategy will be co-designed with input from farmers, vets, scientists, and conservationists. It will consider additional measures such as enhanced cattle testing, reducing disease spread through cattle movements, and deploying badger vaccination on a wider, landscape scale.
John Cross, chair of the bTB Partnership, welcomed the announcement, stating, “Bovine TB is the common enemy, not farmers or wildlife groups. Only by working together will we reach our goal.”
In addition to these measures, the government plans to publish more detailed information about animal and herd-level bTB risk on ibTB, a free interactive map designed to help cattle farmers and vets understand and manage TB risks in their area.
This new strategy represents a significant step towards meeting the government’s manifesto commitment and signals a fresh direction in the fight against bovine TB, balancing the protection of farming communities with the preservation of wildlife.
The government’s renewed focus on science and collaboration aims to bring about long-term solutions to one of the UK’s most challenging animal health issues.
More from: Enviroment · UK National News
