Badger Trust responds to Welsh Cabinet written Statement on the Bovine TB Eradication Programme

Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

Badger Trust welcomes the Welsh Deputy First Minister's statement and the clear progress Wales is making in tackling bovine TB. 

The latest TB statistics show sustained long-term decreases in new TB herd incidents, demonstrating that Wales’s science-led, cattle-focused approach is delivering real results. 

The statement rightly acknowledges the positive role of more sensitive cattle testing and the efforts to reduce the number of cattle unnecessarily slaughtered solely because they test positive for bTB. This commitment to transparency and evidence-based policymaking sets Wales apart, reinforcing that this approach is both effective and sustainable, and represents a clear improvement on the approach seen elsewhere in England.

Bovine TB is difficult to test for; many current tests fail to detect it reliably, and it can remain latent and undetectable at various stages of its cycle. An animal testing positive isn't always infectious, and may never be infectious, so any policy that condemns every reactor to death is simply not appropriate. 

There are two highly sensitive and specific tests for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) that do not require livestock to be immediately condemned to slaughter. This allows animals to remain on their home farms, continuing to contribute to food production. By contrast, traditional test and slaughter methods can be costly, disruptive, and distressing for cattle, farmers, and veterinarians.

Wales now has the chance for a real step change and shouldn't shortchange farmers or taxpayers with what seems like unnecessary hesitancy. 

Bovine TB is primarily a cattle disease, with the overwhelming majority of transmission occurring between cattle. It should be treated as such, in line with other livestock diseases, with policy focused on effective cattle-based controls. 

Wales has made progress by maintaining this focus on cattle, and that progress must be protected. Claims that badger culling has led to a “56% reduction” in bovine TB in England are misleading. 

The analysis behind this figure cannot separate the effects of culling from other measures such as enhanced cattle testing, stricter movement controls, and improved on and off farm biosecurity, points confirmed by both the study’s author, Birch, and DEFRA.

It is therefore not scientifically valid to attribute reductions in bovine TB to culling alone. England’s cull-led approach has failed to deliver clear, measurable reductions in bovine TB in cattle, as recognised by Professor Godfray and his expert panel. Wales must not be drawn into repeating a costly and ineffective strategy based on misrepresented evidence.

Scientific findings demonstrate that badger culling has no measurable effect on bovine tuberculosis (bTB) rates in cattle. Since culling badgers has not affected bTB rates, vaccinating them is unlikely to do so either. While badger vaccination may have welfare benefits for badgers themselves, it will not address the primary drivers of disease in cattle populations.

The Welsh government's Technical Advisory Group (TAG) report’s claim that international requirements necessitate action on wildlife is also misleading. The relevant World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards for Officially TB Free status focus on bovine species, citing cattle, buffalo, and wood buffalo.

Wildlife interventions are often a distraction. Instead, the focus should be on supporting livestock farmers and the industry in identifying and reducing Bovine TB in cattle, rather than repeating methods that have already proven ineffective across England. Bovine TB is an infectious disease affecting cattle and should be treated with the same urgency as other diseases like brucellosis and Johne's disease. 

Badger Trust urges the Welsh Government to continue prioritising science-led, evidence-based and cattle-focused policies that support farmers and move Wales closer to a genuinely effective and sustainable TB eradication strategy.