Farmer-led badger vaccination could revolutionise mission to tackle bovine TB - Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
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New study highlights need for government support
Farmer-led badger vaccination could play a vital role in plans to eradicate bovine tuberculosis, highlights a first-of-its-kind project initiated by Cornish farmers and implemented by us, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and Imperial College London.
A paper published today (6 August 2024) in People and Nature reports how over the course of the four-year pilot vaccination programme – co-managed between farmers, scientists, and conservationists – the percentage of badgers testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in the study area dropped from 16% to 0%, while the farmers involved reported increased enthusiasm for badger vaccination as a bTB control tool.
With larger-scale assessments needed to measure how badger vaccination impacts disease rates in cattle, the team behind the study are calling on the government to support further evaluations of community-led badger vaccination.
Professor Rosie Woodroffe, project lead and researcher at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology said: “Bovine tuberculosis can devastate farmers’ livelihoods, and hundreds of thousands of cattle and badgers have been slaughtered for bTB control in recent years. Everyone wants to see this disease eradicated. Our hope is that this work will help to move bTB control into a place where farmers and wildlife groups can work together towards this shared goal.”