Badger cull to continue pending bovine TB strategy review

Defra secretary Steve Reed has confirmed that badger culling will continue as part of the government’s efforts to combat bovine tuberculosis (TB) until a full review of the policy is completed.

Experts are reviewing England’s 25-year bovine TB strategy to incorporate the latest science and assess any changes needed.

Led by Prof Charles Godfray of Oxford University, the team will analyse evidence gathered since 2018 and identify gaps in disease control. The review will focus on eradication efforts in England, with lessons from other regions considered.

See also: Experts to review new evidence in battle against bovine TB

In an interview with Farmers Weekly, Mr Reed pledged that the culling strategy would remain in place while the government evaluated the effectiveness of the approach.

“We announced very early on in government that we’ll be looking for a comprehensive bovine TB eradication strategy, and until that is in place, then we’re not going to ban the cull,” he said.

The government has already announced alternative measures to combat bovine TB, including badger vaccination and improved biosecurity on farms.

Despite these efforts, Mr Reed said the government would not make any hasty decisions regarding a shift in policy until the review had concluded, which is expected to be later this year.

“Defra is working with the sector to ensure that every step of the way, we are doing everything we can to protect farmers’ livelihoods and protect farmers from the risks of disease,” he added.

Culling ‘highly effective’, says NFU

During his speech at the NFU conference in London on Tuesday 25 February, NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the union would continue to provide evidence that badger culling in England had been “highly effective” in helping to reduce TB rates.

“Significant elements of the government’s proposed TB strategy are still being researched and are not deployable at scale,” he said.

Mr Bradshaw urged the government to “move at pace” with a “clear view of the science and the evidence” to maintain the existing TB strategy across England until that review is completed.

Latest TB data

Official figures show that from October 2023 to September 2024, England saw 21,864 cattle culled due to TB, marking a 12% rise compared with the previous year.

In contrast, Wales, where no wildlife control policy is in place, experienced a 27% increase, with cattle slaughterings rising from 9,666 to 12,278.