Badger Trust Launches Farmer Survey about bovine TB

Badger Trust Staff Team
Jun 22, 2023
2 min read

Badger Trust calls on England’s farmers in a move to bring together the voices of those impacted by bTB

Badger Trust, the leading voice for badgers in England and Wales, is launching its first-ever farmer survey to understand the perspectives of farmers impacted by bovine TB (bTB) and the government’s bTB eradication strategy.

Bovine TB is a respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). It is spread primarily via the breath or discharge from the nose and mouth of infected animals. Whilst research has consistently shown that over 90% of bTB transmission occurs within and between cattle herds, there has remained debate about the role of badgers and other wild animals as potential disease vectors.

Since 2013, badgers in England have been culled as part of the government's strategy to reduce the rates of bTB in cattle. Already, the cull has killed more than 210,000 badgers, up to half of the estimated badger population of Britain. Yet, bTB remains one of the most significant threats farmers face today.

Whilst bTB is reducing marginally within England, greater successes in disease reduction are reported by neighbouring Wales and Scotland, both of which concentrate on mandated national cattle-based measures, and neither culls badgers. In fact, 94% of Welsh herds are now free from the disease.

Unlike Wales, which takes a national approach to bTB management, policy in England can be confusing and inconsistent. Farmers are often left to navigate a patchwork of policies that differ between counties and are unsupported when trying to make cattle purchasing, testing, and movement decisions.

This month, as the Secretary of State for Defra indicated that badger culling could continue indefinitely, Badger Trust is asking for farmer perspectives on current bTB policies. The charity calls on farmers to complete a short online survey to share their experiences, perspectives and knowledge of bTB and bTB eradication policy in England.

The survey, which farmers can access online, is part of a wider research initiative that seeks to bring together the voices of farmers, animal welfare charities, and policymakers on the issue of bTB management in England.

The final report, due to be published this autumn, will provide an evidence-based overview of the impact of badger culling on disease control, the environment, the economy, and animal welfare and will propose alternative strategies to reduce the disease without killing a protected species.

Badger Trust’s farmer survey will give farmers the opportunity to have their voices represented in the final report. Badger Trust’s report seeks to open dialogue on bTB control and how best stakeholders might approach this disease together.

The charity hopes that this bold approach will help to depolarise the issue of badgers and bTB – one of the most contentious and political animal welfare issues that Britain continues to face.