London: Scientists have warned that current efforts to eradicate bovine cattle TB are likely to fail unless the government acts with greater urgency and provides additional funding.
The disease has caused bitter divisions between farmers and wildlife groups, particularly over the controversial use of badger culls to reduce TB transmission to cattle.
The government has committed to ending badger culls by 2029 and replacing them with vaccination, aiming to eliminate TB from English cattle herds by 2038. However, a recent scientific review cautioned that this strategy will only succeed if badger vaccinations are rapidly scaled up and infection control within cattle herds is significantly strengthened.
Professor Sir Charles Godfray, who led the government-commissioned review, said that, “We’re obviously fully aware of the great pressures of the public finances at the moment. Nevertheless, we believe that investment in bovine TB control now will save money in the future.”
TB continues to devastate British farming and wildlife nearly halfway through the 25-year eradication plan. In the last decade alone, 274,000 cattle have been compulsorily slaughtered, while over 230,000 badgers have been culled since 2013.
Last year, compensation paid for slaughtered cattle reached almost £23 million. Celebrities like Jeremy Clarkson have also publicly shared the impact of cattle TB on their farms; Clarkson revealed that his Diddly Squat farm had been affected, saying that, “Everyone here is absolutely devastated.”
Genetic tracing of cattle TB indicates that most infections are transmitted by other infected cattle within the herd, although wildlife and the movement of infected cattle from other areas remain likely original sources of the disease.
Vaccination of badgers will become a central part of the eradication strategy once culling stops, but significant challenges remain, including the difficulty of catching enough badgers for vaccination.
Professor Godfray noted that, “Considerable effort will be required to scale up vaccination so that it becomes viable, both economically and logistically.” The Professor emphasized the need for improved biosecurity and rigorous testing to prevent the disease from spreading through cattle movements between farms.
There is optimism regarding a cattle vaccine, which is currently under assessment by government veterinary regulators. Professor James Wood of the University of Cambridge, also part of the review team, described the development as ‘a very exciting advance’ and stressed that, “greater urgency could be applied here. Cattle vaccination presents huge opportunities for protecting cattle and reducing transmission in herds.”
The government said it would consider the findings of the review, with a new strategy to eradicate bovine cattle TB expected to be published next year.
Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner stated that, “The government is determined to eradicate bovine cattle TB, a devastating disease that destroys too many farmers’ livelihoods and has led to the culling of thousands of badgers. Following a record year for badger vaccination in 2024, a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force will be deployed next year. We are also developing a cattle vaccine and, along with the Scottish and Welsh governments, have invested over £40 million into vaccine-related research.”
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