New scientific study reveals that badger culling has had no effect in reducing bovine TB in cattle

A rigorous independent analysis of government data shows mass badger culling is not effective at stamping out bTB in cows.

Using the Westminster government's data on the incidence and prevalence of bTB, independent scientists have shown that badger culling has had no effect in reducing bTB in cattle.

A scientific paper published today in Veterinary Record* has rigorously analysed government bTB surveillance data between 2009 and 2020. The study concludes that incidences of bTB reduction were due to cattle measures implemented either before the cull ever began or during the cull period.

This rigorous and in-depth examination of government data, over a large area and a long-time frame, reinforces other studies and what Badger Trust has long been stating – mass badger culling is ineffective in reducing bTB in cattle.

The analysis of eleven years of data, from both within and outside cull zones, shows no correlation between badger culling and a decline in bTB in cattle. Further analysis of ten county areas considered high-risk-areas for bTB shows that in 9 out of 10 of these counties, bTB in cattle peaked and then began to fall before the government ever implemented a badger cull.

The study also dismissed the broad sweeping conclusions of a study that DEFRA repeatedly cites as their justification for the cull. The Downs et al. (2019)[1] study claims to have shown a decline in bTB in three pilot cull areas from 2013 to 2017. This is despite the authors themselves highlighting that they were unable to isolate other influences for this decline, such as improved veterinary advice or better biosecurity on farms. A repeat study[2] found no reliable downward trend in bTB in cattle related to the cull, and in Gloucestershire – one of the pilot areas – uncovered a 130% increase in bTB in cattle in the 12-months after the Downs study ended.

Peter Hambly, Executive Director of Badger Trust, said:

“This new study in Vet Record provides yet more irrefutable evidence that the badger cull is not working to stop, or even slow, the spread of bTB in cattle.

It highlights the need for large-scale comprehensive data when designing disease control methods, not selective cherry-picking as we have seen from the government.”

Hambly added:

“Put simply, the badger cull has to stop immediately – there is no basis for it to continue. This study shows that the government’s bTB eradication policy is not working and wastes taxpayer money on a grand scale.

The cull is an unnecessary wildlife tragedy of unprecedented proportions and diverts DEFRA away from enforcing robust cattle measures.

Over 143,000 badgers have been needlessly killed to date, and we predict at least another 140,000 will be slaughtered under current intensive cull licences that won’t end until 2026.”

“What’s worrying is that the data for this latest study were all sourced from DEFRA’s own records. They publish these figures publicly and yet had failed to notice this startling revelation. Given the shocking facts from these data and the internal analyses DEFRA must have been doing on this, we are left wondering why they have not stopped the cull sooner and why they continue to use it as their key strategy for dealing with bTB in cattle.

Badger Trust maintains that the most likely and harmful reservoir of bTB disease in cattle is from other cattle, especially now it is known that the main skin-test used to detect bTB in cattle (SICCT test) still misses a large number of infected animals.

“Badger Trust continues to challenge the myth that badgers are the primary cause of the spread of bTB in cattle. The government needs to focus more on cattle and less on badgers. It is cattle measures, such as better slurry management, more accurate movement tests, cattle vaccination, comprehensive disinfection and farmer education, that will reduce the spread of this awful disease”.

During the same time period of this study, Wales has achieved a greater reduction in bTB disease control using cattle measures without widespread culling of badgers [3],[4].

The other cherry-picking piece of data the government relies on is the Godfray report (2018)[5], a government-initiated look at bTB strategies. Along with the over-interpretation of the Downs paper, this report is used to justify the cull. Yet areas of the report focusing on tackling bTB have been ignored or minimised.

The Godfray report itself acknowledges, “The decision whether or not to cull badgers must be informed by evidence which provides important information on likely outcomes.” It appears DEFRA had this evidence all along.

DEFRA has yet to supply evidence on the regular monitoring of the effect of culling for disease control. Badger Trust hopes that this latest comprehensive analysis of DEFRA’s own data provides them with the evidence they need to steer bTB measures in the right direction – firmly away from badgers to a focus on cattle-based measures.

*The new scientific paper was written by Tom Langton, biologist, Dr Mark Jones from Born Free, and Dr Iain McGill of the Prion Group.

Langton, T.E.S., Jones, M.W., McGill, I. (2022) Analysis of the impacts of badger culling and cattle controls on bovine tuberculosis in cattle in the high risk area of England, 2009-2020 Veterinary Record 190(6) 19/26 e1384. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1384. Accessed 18 March 2022.

References:

[1] DOWNS S H, PROSSER A, ASHTON A, ASHFIELD S, BRUNTON L A, BROUWER A, UPTON P AND OTHERS (2019) Assessing effects from four years of industry-led badger culling in England on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle, 2013–2017. 2019. Scientific Reports 9, 14666. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49957-6 Accessed 16 June 2021

[2] MCGILL I and JONES M (2019) Cattle infectivity is driving the bTB epidemic. Vet Record 185(22), 699-700. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31806839/ Accessed 16 June 2021

[3] MORE S J, HOUTSMA E, DOYLE L, MCGRATH G, CLEGG T A, DE LA RUA-DOMENECH R, DUIGNAN A, AND OTHERS (2018) Further description of bovine tuberculosis trends in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, 2003-2015. Veterinary Record 183(23):717. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30487295/ Accessed 16 June 2021

[4] WELSH GOVERNMENT (2017) Why are we currently slaughtering more cattle for TB than we used to? Bovine TB - GOV.WALES online. https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2017-12/bovine-tb-the-increase-in-slaughtering.pdf.pdf Accessed 16 June 2021

[5] GODFRAY C, DONNELLY C, HEWINSON, G, WINTER, M, and WOOD, J (2018) Bovine TB Strategy Review. October 2018 Defra, London. 13 November 2018

Further information:

• We are still waiting for DEFRA to release the 2021 cull figures. We expect it to be the largest number of badgers culled in a single year, bringing the total number of badgers slaughtered to over 200,000.

• There will be a debate in Westminster on an e-petition relating to badger culling set up by Wild Justice. You can watch the Westminster Hall debate on 21st March 2022 at 4:30pm via the Parliament YouTube channel