A cattle vaccine against bovine tuberculosis (bTB) has entered its final phase of testing, raising hopes of a breakthrough in tackling one of farming’s most persistent and costly diseases.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) confirmed today (21 October) that Phase 3 trials are now under way on commercial farms in England and Wales.
Around 750 cattle across at least 10 farms will receive the CattleBCG vaccine alongside the DIVA skin test, which can tell the difference between infected and vaccinated animals.
Bovine TB costs England about £100 million every year, with the wider farming industry carrying a further £50 million burden. In 2023/24 alone, more than 60,000 cattle were slaughtered in England and Wales to control the disease.
Vaccination could offer a major shift, protecting animals from infection while reducing transmission across herds.
Dr Camille Szmaragd Harrison, lead TB scientist at APHA, said the first two trial phases showed the vaccine and skin test to be safe.
“This third phase has been designed to provide additional information to guide how they can be deployed most effectively to support England and Wales eradication strategies,” she explained.
She praised industry involvement, adding that progress was only possible thanks to “the unfailing support from across the farming industry”, with hundreds of farmers expressing interest in taking part.
UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: “The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to develop effective TB cattle vaccines, and we are moving ever closer to having an operable vaccine.
"If this next phase is successful, we are one step closer to a vaccine which, used with other measures, will help tackle this insidious disease that impacts livestock farmers across the globe.”
Richard Irvine, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, welcomed the start of trials on a Welsh farm, calling it “another important step towards having a deployable Cattle TB Vaccine to support the eradication of TB from the national herd and to meet the target of a TB free Wales by 2041.”
Phase 3 will generate more data on how the DIVA skin test performs across vaccinated herds, helping refine plans for future use. Results will be used to apply for marketing authorisation of both the vaccine and the test.
If successful, the combined approach could save thousands of cattle from slaughter every year and play a decisive role in achieving the government’s goal of eradicating bovine TB by 2038.
