Daera study reveals bovine TB in a fifth of roadkill badgers
© Tim Scrivener The latest roadkill survey figures from Northern Ireland show that about one in five badgers tested positive for bovine TB last year.
In 2023, a total of 459 badgers were recovered throughout the province as part of ongoing roadside collection and testing of dead badgers by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).
Of these, 428 were in a condition suitable for laboratory testing; 91 of the tested animals were confirmed positive for bovine tuberculosis (TB), which equates to 21.3% positive for the disease.
See also: High Court judge rejects plans for Northern Ireland badger cull
The prevalence of Mycobacterium bovis, the bacterium which causes bovine TB, was down slightly in roadkill badgers compared with the previous year’s average of 22.9%.
However, it remains comfortably higher than the rates of 16.4% and 13.7% recorded in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Plans by Daera to allow an English-style, farmer-led badger cull as part of efforts to tackle bovine TB in the county were rejected last October following a legal challenge by Wild Justice and the Northern Ireland Badger Group.
A High Court judge ruled that Daera’s consultation documents failed to provide sufficient information about the basis for its proposed decision.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) says the success of the badger cull in England reinforces the need for similar action in Northern Ireland. Farmers Weekly has contacted the UFU for a response to the latest badger roadkill figures.
To report a roadkill badger in Northern Ireland to Daera, phone 028 7744 2399 or email rtabadger@daera-ni.gov.uk.