Badger Trust welcomes Welsh Government's commitment to eliminate bTB without resorting to a cull

In a statement to the Senedd on Tuesday, Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies reaffirmed the government's commitment to eliminating Bovine TB in Wales without resorting to culling badgers.

Badger Trust has expressed support for the Welsh Government’s stance on eradicating bovine TB (bTB).

In Wales, unlike in England, there is an active approach to detecting bTB in cattle. The frequency and regularity of testing in Wales is as much as four times higher than in England, and Wales applies a stricter approach to interpreting skin testing, designating animals as reactors that would not be classed as such in England  [1]. In contrast, DEFRA in England has revised the sensitivity of the SICCT test, reducing its effectiveness in detecting the disease by 25%. This is concerning, especially since this test already has a low efficiency level, with as many as 50% of infected animals being missed.

As a result of more frequent and better testing protocols, Wales is identifying a high number of bTB cases because of their diligent efforts to find and eliminate the disease from the national herd.

Badger Trust recognises the severe impact that a bTB outbreak can have on farmers' businesses and their mental health and well-being.

Badger Trust Chief Executive Nigel Palmer said:

The Welsh Government has implemented support for farmers whose herds are affected, something Badger Trust has advocated for in its ground breaking report, "Tackling Bovine TB Together," released at the start of 2024.

In contrast, DEFRA provides no support to English farmers and continues to back a testing system that is failing cows and farmers. This has directly led to the death of over 230,000 badgers, despite the fact that the known incidence of bTB transmission is 94-95% from cattle to cattle [1,2].

Carolyn Thomes, Labour Regional Member of the Senedd for North Wales, said, “We face a persistent challenge with bovine TB in Britain. Bovine TB is horrible for farmers, cattle, and wildlife. Wales has taken a different approach to England—an evidence-based path—and is doing better because of it. While England has pursued controversial badger culling, Wales focuses on the primary driver of bTB outbreaks: cattle-to-cattle transmission. I have to make it clear that the comparison stats provided by DEFRA on bovine TB statistics between countries is wholly inadequate, as it's not showing like-for-like requirements. England relies on a test that allows 25 per cent of bTB in herds to stay undetected.”

“While England has pursued controversial badger culling, Wales focuses on the primary driver of bTB outbreaks: cattle-to-cattle transmission.”

Badger Trust calls on the UK government to follow the Welsh government's lead by ending the badger culls and focusing on delivering improved testing that can differentiate between vaccinated and infected cattle - already commercially available - introducing a cattle vaccine programme and supporting farmers financially, as well as in their mental and emotional health, as they take on the challenge of eradicating bTB from England’s cattle herds. 

[1]  Llywodraeth Cymru Welsh Government, 2023. Wales TB Eradication Programme Delivery Plan March 2023 - March 2028. Available from: www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2023-03/wales-bovine-tb-eradication-programme-delivery-plan-2023_0.pdf [Date Accessed: 16.05.25].

[2] Akhmetova, A., Guerrero, J., McAdam, P., Salvador, L.C., Crispell, J., Lavery, J., Presho, E., Kao, R.R., Biek, R., Menzies, F. and Trimble, N., 2023. Genomic epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis infection in sympatric badger and cattle populations in Northern Ireland. Microbial Genomics, 9(5), p.001023.

[3] Donnelly, C.A. and Nouvellet, P., 2013. The contribution of badgers to confirmed tuberculosis in cattle in high-incidence areas in England. PLoS currents, 5, pp.ecurrents.outbreaks.097a904d3f3619db2fe78d24bc776098.