Senedd votes to consider targeted badger culling in bovine TB fight

Targeted badger culling could be considered in Wales’s fight against bovine TB after the Senedd backed a motion calling for expert-recommended wildlife controls to be assessed.

No cull has been authorised. Any future action would require scientific support and a decision by Welsh ministers.

The Reform UK motion was approved on Wednesday 15 July with support from Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Conservatives and the Senedd’s sole Liberal Democrat MS.

It calls on the Welsh Government to give full consideration to targeted wildlife controls, including culling, if they are recommended by the TB Technical Advisory Group and supported by evidence.

Those measures could then form part of Wales’s wider bovine TB eradication strategy.

The Welsh Government’s current eradication programme aims to achieve officially TB-free status by 2041.

Existing controls include regular cattle testing, movement restrictions, the removal of infected animals, farm biosecurity and measures tailored to different TB risk areas.

Badger vaccination also forms part of the current approach.

However, the Bovine TB Programme Board warned in 2026 that Wales was not on course to meet its 2041 target under the existing trajectory.

It called for greater urgency and locally tailored action, while saying further wildlife research and surveillance were needed before interventions were developed.

The Senedd vote means targeted culling cannot be ruled out if it is recommended by expert advisers, although ministers are not required to introduce it.

Plaid Cymru’s election manifesto pledged to recognise wildlife as a source of infection and consider “scientifically validated control methods” when developing a new approach to bovine TB.

Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability Llyr Gruffydd said a “step change” was needed in Wales’s response to the disease.

However, he warned against assuming wildlife was responsible for every case or reaching conclusions before expert advice had been received.

“While I recognise that wildlife can play a role in the transmission of bovine TB, it is important that we don't pretend that wildlife is responsible in every case, nor should we prejudge the conclusions of our expert advisors,” he said.

Mr Gruffydd is awaiting further advice from the TB Technical Advisory Group and the programme board on wildlife transmission and possible interventions.

The Countryside Alliance welcomed the vote, saying bovine TB could have a devastating impact on Welsh livestock farmers.

Spokesperson Johnnie Furse said the debate should not be reduced to a simple argument for or against culling.

“It's not about being against badger culling or for it - it's about rational policies that follow the evidence and take whatever steps it shows are necessary to eradicate this destructive disease,” he said.

The Welsh Government will consider advice from its expert and industry groups before deciding whether targeted wildlife controls should form part of its strategy.

No timetable has been announced and no badger cull has been authorised.