Senedd 2026: The truth about badgers and bTB. A call for science-led action
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Badger Trust urges Wales to challenge bTB myths and back science-led policies to protect Wales’ badgers, farming and wildlife ahead of the Senedd elections.
Badgers are an iconic part of Wales’ wildlife, yet myths and misunderstandings about them persist, particularly regarding bovine TB (bTB) and their role in Wales’ ecosystems.
Ahead of the Senedd elections in May, the Cymru Badger Manifesto calls for informed, evidence-based policies to protect badgers and ensure a healthy future for both wildlife and farming in Wales.
Let’s separate fact from fiction.
Myth: bTB is increasing in Wales and out of control
Fact: Since 2010, new herd incidents of bTB in Wales declined over 40% without culling, compared to 33% in England (1). New bTB herd incidents in Wales are approximately 600 over 12 months (2, 3). This does not mean that the disease is out of control. These figures are influenced by high-sensitivity testing, which detects infections early and prevents further transmission. Wales’ proactive strategy is working to reduce the long-term spread of bTB.
Myth: Record numbers of cattle are being slaughtered
Fact: Wales’ proactive approach means more cases are detected and contained quickly, helping prevent wider outbreaks and reduce long-term prevalence. Rather than blaming wildlife, science shows that targeted cattle testing, movement controls, and biosecurity are the most effective ways to tackle bTB.
The number of cattle slaughtered for bTB varies over time. Much of the increase since 2014 is attributable to high-sensitivity testing, including gamma tests administered alongside skin testing. This uncovers previously undetected infections, reducing long-term bTB spread and recurring breakdowns, even if it can temporarily increase slaughter numbers(4).
Myth: Badgers are responsible for bTB in cattle
Fact: Badgers play a very minor role in bTB transmission events to cattle(5); the vast majority (>90 %) is cattle-to-cattle. In fact, badgers are more likely to contract bTB from infected cows than to transmit it to them.
A recent study in Northern Ireland found cattle were 800 times more likely to transmit bTB to badgers than the other way around. (6). This means that even without badgers, bTB would remain a problem in cattle.
“If there were no badgers in Wales, bTB would still be a problem in cattle, as the majority of transmission is perpetuated cattle-to-cattle.”
Myth: Culling in England has reduced bTB by 56%
Fact: Claims that badger culling has significantly reduced bTB in cattle are misleading & not supported by the evidence. The Birch report, from which the widely misreported 56% reduction is derived, cannot separate the impact of culling from other interventions, such as improved cattle testing & biosecurity in high-risk areas (7).
Myth: All badgers carry TB and could pass it onto cattle
Fact: The All Welsh Badgers Found Dead study found 13% of badgers tested positive for bTB in 2005, which decreased to just 7.3% in 2014-2016, without any badger culling. Furthermore, not all badgers that test positive for TB are sick enough to be infectious and therefore are rarely capable of transmitting it to other badgers or cows (8).
In addition, the bTB pathogen survives in soil, slurry, manure & has been found in earthworms (9). Badgers are among the many wild species that can carry bTB, including invertebrates and deer (10).
“The bTB pathogen survives in soil, slurry, manure & has been found in earthworms. Badgers are among the many wild species that can carry bTB, ranging from invertebrates to deer.”
Myth: Culling badgers is the only way to prevent cattle getting bTB
Fact: Wales has not routinely culled badgers, yet its cattle-focused bTB strategy has successfully reduced disease prevalence over the long term. Sustained measures, including annual herd testing, movement controls, and biosecurity, have driven a significant fall in new herd incidents and overall bTB prevalence since the late 2000s.
Herd incidence fell from around 8.6% in the early 2010s to 6.3% in 2021 (11).
Herd prevalence, the percentage of herds not officially TB‑free, decreased to 5.2% by September 2025, indicating that the overall burden of bTB is reducing (12).
There is a clear, consistent decline in new herd incidents in Wales from 2028 to the present, demonstrating that proactive cattle management can reduce bTB and offering a model for England to follow.
Myth: Badgers threaten hedgehog and ground nesting bird populations
Fact: Badgers are opportunistic omnivores, but earthworms make up around 70 % of their diet, making invertebrates their primary food source (13). While badgers occasionally eat hedgehogs, habitat loss is by far the main cause of hedgehog declines. Similarly, badgers have a minimal impact on ground-nesting birds.
Myth: Badger populations are healthy in Wales
Fact: No population survey has been conducted in Wales in over a decade. There is no evidence that badger populations are healthy, stable or abundant in Wales or England. What we do know is that badgers are still heavily persecuted in Wales.
Myth: Badgers are not under threat from persecution
Fact: Badger persecution is very much still happening in parts of Wales and England, with National Wildlife Crime Unit data showing 140 incidents in Wales between 2020 and 2025, including incidents of sett interference, baiting and digging, traps & snares, shootings, and poisonings (14). However, many incidents go unreported, so this is likely only the tip of the iceberg!
Myth: Badger population need to be managed by humans in Wales, or they will grow out of control
Fact: Like many carnivore species, badger populations are limited by how much food and habitat are available, known as ‘bottom-up’ control. Some species are also limited by the number of larger predators, such as wolves or lynx; this is unlikely to be the case for badgers, as they are rarely hunted by such predators in places where they coexist (15, 16). Human activities, e.g. road traffic, urban development, habitat loss, and wildlife crime, have a far greater impact on badger numbers than the absence of natural predators (17).
Why this matters
The Cymru Badger Manifesto calls for science-led, wildlife-friendly policies that support farming. By understanding the facts about bTB, badger ecology, and wildlife management, we can:
Protect Wales’ badgers and ecosystems.
Reduce bTB in cattle responsibly.
Ensure farming and wildlife thrive side by side.
Badgers belong here, and with your support, they will continue to do so.
Take action for Wales’ badgers
Use our template letter to ask your Senedd candidate to:
Support our 5 Asks
Champion science-led policy and protection
Further information:
References:
DEFRA, 2025. Bovine TB statistics. Last Updated 10/09/2025. Date Accessed: 20/10/2025
https://www.gov.wales/incidence-tuberculosis-tb-cattle-great-britain-september-2025-html
https://www.gov.wales/incidence-tuberculosis-tb-cattle-great-britain-september-2025-html
Jenkins, H. E., et al. (2010). The epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis in cattle and badgers in Great Britain. Epidemiology & Infection, 138(12), 1557–1570
Temporal and spatial Mycobacterium bovis prevalence patterns as evidenced in the All Wales Badgers Found Dead (AWBFD) survey of infection 2014–2016
Barbier et al Rapid dissemination of Mycobacterium bovis from cattle dung to soil by the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris.
Justus, W., Valle, S., Barton, O., Gresham, A. and Shannon, G., 2024. A review of bovine tuberculosis transmission risk in European wildlife communities. MammalReview, 54(3), pp.325-340.
