TB levels in the national cattle herd continued to decline in 2016. At the end of September herd incidence stood at 3.04%. A decade ago it was at 5.48%, while in 1999 it was 7.7%. Likewise, the number of reactor cattle removed has dropped.

In the nine months to September 2016 the number removed was 11,699. In 2007 the number removed (from January to September) was 20,241. In the 12 months of 1999 some 45,000 reactors were removed.

The improvement is clear to be seen. However, as incidence falls the progress made each year is also slowing. Culling of infected badgers has been a significant help in reducing TB levels in cattle herds. But it is not possible to remove all infected badgers, so a reservoir of disease remains to infect badgers, cattle and, for that matter, wild deer.

The Department of Agriculture came to the view years ago that removal of infected cattle and infected badgers won’t be enough to eradicate the disease.

Therefore it is determined to push ahead with vaccination of badgers. In 2012 it began vaccinating in areas where badger culling had been carried out for three or more years and where TB levels in cattle herds had fallen.

Without any proven bait system, the Department is using a capture/vaccinate/release approach. It expects to increase use of badger vaccine to help lower TB levels in both the badger populations and cattle herds. Thus, in 2016 the Department expected to administer 1,442 doses of vaccine to badgers, to cull 6,450 diseased badgers in the same areas. Nationally, it expected to remove 15,000 infected cattle. In 2017 it expects to administer 1,730 doses of vaccine to badgers, to cull 6,500 infected badgers and cull 14,500 infected cattle. For 2018 it expects to administer 2,595 vaccine doses, to cull 4,000 diseased badgers and 14,000 diseased cattle.