The government has announced plans to begin an 'exit strategy' from badger culling and instead favour vaccinations to combat bovine TB.
In a new document released by Defra on Thursday (5 March), the Environment Secretary said the government does not want to cull badgers 'indefinitely'.
Instead, vaccinations of cattle and badgers will be piloted in at least one area where the four-year cull cycle has concluded, with simultaneous surveillance of disease.
"Our aim is to identify an exit strategy from culling in those areas that have completed the four years of intensive culling by deploying vaccination to the remaining badger population," George Eustice said.
He added that the government will retain the ability to introduce new cull zones where the disease is rife, and to allow future culls only where evidence points to a significant reservoir of the disease in badgers.
"We envisage that any remaining areas would join the current cull programme in the next few years," he said, adding that the badger cull phase of the strategy would then wind down by the mid to late 2020s.
Farming industry groups have said in the past that the badger cull is the most effective way of protecting livestock from the disease.
Bovine TB is seen as one of the most difficult and intractable animal health challenges that England faces today.
Around 30,000 cattle have to be slaughtered annually due to infection.
The disease causes considerable trauma for farmers as they suffer the loss of highly prized animals and valued herds.
A recent study by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), however, suggests that vaccinations could be effective in stamping out the disease.
Mr Eustice added: “Once the weight of disease in wildlife has been addressed, we will accelerate other elements of our strategy including improved diagnostics and cattle vaccination to sustain the downward trajectory of the disease.”
The commitment is part of the government’s response to an independent review of its 25 year bTB strategy, led by Professor Sir Charles Godfray.
