A big investment in vaccines to tackle Bovine TB was announced by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today as he said that Government policy was that licences should not be issued to allow badger culling.
Mr Benn announced that #20 million will be invested over the next three years in developing usable cattle and badger vaccines.
Mr Benn said that the decision was based on a wide range of evidence, including discussions with farming, veterinary, wildlife and conservation groups; the conclusions of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG); and the EFRA Select Committee Report.
Hilary Benn said:
"Having listened carefully to a wide range of views from scientists, farming, veterinary and wildlife organisations, and many others, and having considered all the evidence, I have decided that while such a cull might work, it might also not work. It could end up making the disease worse if it was not sustained over time or delivered effectively, and public opposition, including the unwillingness of some landowners to take part, would render this more difficult.
"I do not think it would be right to take this risk. Therefore - and in line with the advice I have received from the Independent Scientific Group - our policy will be not to issue any licences to farmers to cull badgers for TB control, although we remain open to the possibility of revisiting this policy under exceptional circumstances, or if new scientific evidence were to become available."
He said that instead, effort should be put into strengthening Defra's research programme to develop cattle and badger vaccines and maintaining cattle controls.
Funding would also be provided to set up and run a deployment project to build confidence in the long term contribution badger vaccination could make to tackling bovine TB and to provide valuable information which could help move toward the long term goal of an oral badger vaccine.
Hilary Benn said:
"We have invested #18 million in the last 10 years in vaccine development, which has delivered good results, including: evidence that vaccinating young calves is effective; making progress towards developing a test to differentiate infected from vaccinated cattle; showing that injectable BCG can protect badgers; and developing oral badger vaccine baits.
"I now intend to increase significantly our spending on vaccines by putting #20 million into this over the next three years to strengthen our chances of successfully developing them. I will also provide additional funding to set up and run a practical project to prepare for deploying vaccines in the future.
"It could be some time before an oral vaccine for badgers, or a cattle vaccine, becomes available, so for now we must reduce the spread of the disease, and try to stop it becoming established in new areas. We have cattle controls in place to tackle TB and have strengthened them in recent years with the introduction of pre-movement testing and the targeted use of the more sensitive gamma interferon test. But the action that individual farmers take, in particular to deal with the risk of importing disease into their herd, will also remain critical."
Mr Benn said that everyone now needed to move forward in tackling the disease. The Government wants to work in partnership with the industry to decide how to do this. Defra will therefore be establishing a Bovine TB Partnership Group to develop a shared plan for tackling bovine TB.
Hilary Benn added:
"This has been a very difficult decision to take, and I know that farmers affected will be disappointed and angry. We all want the same thing - to beat this terrible disease - but I have had to reach a view about what will be effective in doing so, guided by the science and the practicality of delivering a cull.
"And having made a commitment to farmers and others that I would take a decision, now that it has been made, we need to put all our efforts into working together to take action that can work in all affected areas."
Bovine TB is a serious problem, particularly in the South West and the Midlands. However, more than 90 per cent of herds are TB free at any one time and some significant cattle farming areas are largely without the disease.
