Badgers could be infected with “something like a herpes virus” to help stop them spreading bovine tuberculous to cattle, Farming Minister George Eustice has said.
Mr Eustice said research is ongoing to establish if it is possible to insert a bovine TB vaccine into such a type of virus so it can spread naturally among the badger population.
Eustice said a “self-disseminating” vaccine for badgers would be a “major breakthrough” although cautioned it is “some way off”.
There has been criticism of the UK Government's badger cull, with a petition warning that tens of thousands of healthy badgers could be killed while trying to control bovine TB.
The petitioners, who number more than 108,000, say they acknowledge the disease is a serious problem but believe any solution needs to involve measures such as a vaccine and increased cattle movement control measures.
Bovine TB costs taxpayers over £100m every year and England has the highest incidence of the disease in Europe.
'Greatest animal health threat to the UK'
The Government argues it is pursuing a “comprehensive bovine TB eradication strategy”, labelling the disease as the “greatest animal health threat to the UK” with 28,000 cattle slaughtered in England in 2016.
Tory Sir Roger Gale (North Thanet) called on ministers to stop going down a “blind alley” pursuing a “policy that doesn’t work, hasn’t worked, will not work” and instead put the same resources into finding a TB vaccination that works for cattle and badgers.
Mr Eustice said he has an "open mind" to other approaches to tackle bovine TB, telling MPs in Westminster Hall: "There is also some very novel research going on, very much in the early stages, about whether we could develop a self-disseminating vaccine for badgers.
"That is using something like a herpes virus that you insert the vaccine into that spreads naturally through a badger population.
"If we could perfect something like that it would be a major breakthrough although we are some way off."
