Bovine TB: Badgers and bTB
The association between bovine TB (bTB) in cattle
and badgers has been a complex and contentious issue for many years.
This page details the most recent developments in relation to controlling
the reservoir of bTB in the GB badger population.
To read more on related issues please click on one of the following links:
Do badgers give TB to cattle?
Although both badgers and cattle have been shown to carry bTB there has been much debate around the transmission of the disease between the two species.
In November 1996, Professor John Krebs and the Independent Review Team began a scientific review on behalf of the Government into the link between bTB and badgers. The Executive Summary of the Group's findings and recommendations is available on the Defra website.
The Krebs group concluded that that “the sum of evidence strongly supports the view that, in Britain, badgers are a significant source of infection in cattle”. The group recognised, however, that scientific data were lacking and recommended that an experiment, the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT), be set up to establish the effect of culling badgers on TB in cattle. The trial was designed and overseen by the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG).
On the 7th July 2008 Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made a statement to Parliament regarding bovine TB and badgers. A news release has been issued and a copy of the statement is available here.
ISG Final Report
On 18 June 2007, the ISG published their final report (PDF 2.5 MB - Please note this is a large file), concluding their work on the trial. Previously published interim reports on reactive culling (PDF 144 KB) and proactive culling (PDF 223 KB), published in October 2005 and December 2005 respectively, are also available.
Report of the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser
Following the ISG’s Final Report, Defra commissioned an assessment of scientific evidence relating to badgers and TB in cattle from Sir David King, the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. The report of this assessment, Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle and Badgers (PDF 100 KB), is now available.
Public consultation
A public consultation on the principle and method of badger culling ran from 15 December 2005 to 10 March 2006. (The consultation document (PDF 416 KB), partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (PDF 485 KB) and letter to consultees (PDF 37 KB) are available). An updated reference list (PDF 40 KB) for the consultation document is available here.
The consultation received over 47,000 responses and we are grateful to everyone who took the time to respond. As part of the consultation process Citizens Panels were also held during the consultation period. The panels consisted of a small group of members of the public, and were held to consider the issue of bovine TB and badger culling. Reports of the public consultation (PDF 227 KB) and citizens panels (PDF 1.8 MB - NB large file) were both published on 12 July 2006.
Reducing the risk of bTB transmission between badgers and cattle
Advice on husbandry best practice has been
developed by the Bovine TB Husbandry Working Group in partnership with
Defra. This focuses primarily on measures aimed at keeping cattle and
badgers apart and keeping badgers out of farm buildings. Two leaflets containing advice are also available: Do
you know what's happening in your feed store? (PDF 848 KB) and Bovine TB: Do you know how to reduce your risk? (PDF 797 KB).
Page last modified: 7 July 2008