There has been a decline in TB incidence in Gloucestershire and Somerset. The rate of new confirmed breakdowns is now at about half the level they were before culling began, data published by DEFRA shows. In the Gloucestershire cull area, TB incidence has fallen from 10.4% before culling started to 5.6% in year four of the cull, while in Somerset it has reduced from 24% to 12%.
There has been a decline in TB incidence in Gloucestershire and Somerset. The rate of new confirmed breakdowns is now at about half the level they were before culling began, data published by DEFRA shows.
In the Gloucestershire cull area, TB incidence has fallen from 10.4% before culling started to 5.6% in year four of the cull, while in Somerset it has reduced from 24% to 12%.
The findings are in line with expectation based on the scientific evidence from the Randomised Badger Culling Trial. It is part of a 25-year TB eradication strategy in England.
“Bovine TB remains one of the greatest animal health threats to the UK,” UK farming Minister George Eustice said, announcing a new tranche of badger vaccinations.
“There is no single measure that will provide an easy answer which is why we are committed to pursuing a wide range of interventions to protect the future of our dairy and beef industries and eradicate the disease within 20 years.”
The Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme in England was suspended for two years following a global vaccine shortage before resuming in 2017. Successful applicants receive grant funding of up to 50% of costs – worth £700,000 over four years.
The scheme, which funded three projects over the course of the past 12 months, aims to create a protected badger population between the high-risk and low-risk areas of England and prevent further spread of the disease.
In 2017, more than 33,000 cattle had to be slaughtered in England to control TB.
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