Vaccination pilot shows drop in badger bovine TB
An estimated 74 per cent of badgers in the study area were vaccinated.
A four-year pilot badger vaccination programme has led to a drop in badgers testing positive for bovine TB.
The small-scale trial was initiated by farmers in Cornwall who co-managed the programme alongside the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Cornwall Wildlife Trust and worked with partners including Imperial College London.
In the 11km2 area of the study, which covered 12 farms, the percentage of badgers testing positive for bovine TB fell from 16 per cent to 0 per cent. Evidence from camera traps suggested that 74 per cent of badgers in the area received the vaccine.
The study also revealed that the programme had increased enthusiasm among the farmers for badger vaccination.
Culling badgers to prevent transmission of bovine TB to cattle has formed a controversial part of efforts to eradicate the disease in England. The new government has said that it plans to bring culling to an end.
The researchers argue that their study suggests that badger vaccination can be delivered in a way that is cost-effective, practical, and supported by farmers. They now want to conduct a larger-scale assessment to determine the impact of badger vaccination on bovine TB rates in cattle.
Keith Truscott, founder of the Mid Cornwall Badger Vaccination Farmers Group and senior author of the report, said: “We need a solution to tackle bovine tuberculosis – as a cattle farmer, I’m living with the constant worry that one of our cows might test positive for the disease, so doing nothing is not an option.
“I sleep better at night knowing that there are people out there working to eradicate the disease through vaccination.”
Cheryl Marriott, director of nature and people at Cornwall Wildlife Trust added: “The mid-Cornwall badger vaccination project is a brilliant example of nature conservationists, farmers, and scientists putting their heads together to help fix a problem.
“We have all learnt a lot and now better understand each other’s points of view, it has been really rewarding on many levels.”
The study has been published in the journal People and Nature.
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