A study of the territory covered by badgers to be published this Wednesday shows that there is no "one-size-fits-all" interpretation of the range travelled by the animals – and how far they can potentially carry TB.

Dr Andrew Byrne of the AFBI, who led the research, found that badgers in one region could adopt different behaviours, forming either large or small groups of individuals, and wander short or long distances across their and neighbouring groups' territories.

What might work in one area, may not be as effective in another area

"It was like seeing low-density Spanish or Belarussian badger populations within a few miles of high-density British-type populations in Ireland," Byrne said after studying movement data across an Irish agricultural landscape of nearly 200,000ac in collaboration with the University of Oxford and the Republic's Department of Agriculture.

The findings will make attempts to control TB more complex. "Interventions that seek to reduce the risk of TB transmission from wildlife not only have to contend with very varied populations in terms of local abundance, but also how far and how frequently these animals move. And so, what might work in one area, may not be as effective in another area," Byrne said.

He added that the variety in badger behaviour also explained why successive badger cull trials had had widely different results.

"Super-rangers"

The new research adds to our knowledge of badger movements in Ireland. Earlier this year, another study conducted by the Trinity College scientists with the Department of Agriculture and the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Republic found that a minority of "super ranger" badgers travel further than thought and may be "super spreaders" of TB.