The Welsh Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans, has reminded landowners that they have just over a week to apply for a grant to support them to vaccinate badgers on their land against bovine TB.
The Badger Vaccination Grant, which closes on 31 March for this years round of funding, provides farmers, landowners and others who wish to vaccinate badgers against TB with the opportunity to benefit from financial support covering up to half their costs.
Rebecca Evans said: “We have adopted a long term approach to tackling bovine TB in Wales. This involves a comprehensive range of measures working in partnership with the industry and includes annual testing, cattle movement restrictions, free biosecurity advice to farmers and badger vaccination. There has been decline in the number of new herd incidents and total number of animals slaughtered for TB control in Wales since 2009, which clearly demonstrates our eradication programme is working.
“The good work being done to vaccinate badgers in the Intensive Action Area where we have successfully administrated over 4000 doses of the vaccination over three years has been well documented. This grant allows groups or individuals to vaccinate badgers in other parts of Wales.
“As a result of last years badger vaccination grant, there are six privately run vaccination projects that have benefitted from funding across Wales.
“There is just one just one week left to apply for this round of funding so I encourage any landowners who want to vaccinate badgers on their land to get their applications in before this application window closes next week.”
Successful applicants can receive up to 50% of the eligible costs of badger vaccination, with a total of £1.25m available over the next five years.
Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Christianne Glossop said: “We must use every tool that is available to us to tackle this disease. We believe that vaccination can increase the level of immunity to bovine TB in the badger population and should therefore, over time, reduce the potential for onward spread of the infection to cattle.”
