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Build on TB eradication plan, urges CLA
cows
CLA calls for the government to continue the badger culls and work towards lifting farm movement restrictions.
Land owner association releases manifesto for the next government

A membership organisation for land owners has called on candidates in next year's general election to build upon the 25-year bovine TB (bTB) eradication plan and continue with badger culling as part of a wider strategy.

Members of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) own and manage half of the rural land in England and Wales.

The organisation has released a manifesto for the 2015 elections – titled “Unlock the Countryside's Potential” – setting out recommendations to election candidates.

It states that while the government's bTB strategy is “challenging” it offers a “realistic and holistic long-term view” to rid England of the disease.

Cattle slaughters due to bTB totalled 38,000 in 2011. The disease is thought to have cost the British taxpayer around £500million over the past decade – a figure estimated to rise to £1billion over the next 10 years.

The CLA said it welcomed last year's badger culls as part of a “wider science-based strategy” and calls on the next government to continue with trial culls.

After Liz Truss recently replaced Owen Paterson as environment secretary, she announced that the badger culls would continue in Gloucestershire and Somerset. It is reported that she also recently confirmed Natural England will monitor the culls.

Last year's pilot culls were found to be ineffective and inhumane by an independent expert panel (IEP) and have long been controversial. The Badger Trust was recently granted a judicial review of the legality of conducting the culls without an IEP to monitor them.  

In its manifesto, the CLA says it supports the continuation of the culls as part of a wider strategy “based on the latest scientific evidence.”

It also calls on the next government to engage with stakeholders to work towards the removal of farm movement restrictions, while ensuring traceability and food safety.

Read the CLA's full manifesto: www.cla.org.uk

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Submissions open for BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026

News Story 1
 The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.

It is an opportunity for applicants to present new research on any veterinary subject, such as the preliminary results of a study, discussion of a new technique or a description of an interesting case.

They must be based on high-quality clinical research conducted in industry, practice or academia, and summarised in 250 words.

Applications are welcome from vets, vet nurses, practice managers, and students.

Submissions are open until 6 March 2026. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk