England to Shift Bovine TB Strategy: Cattle Vaccination Starting 2030, Badger Culls to End by 2029
England has announced a new strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis by 2038, centring on cattle vaccination from 2030 and ending badger culls by 2029. The plan, developed by over 100 farmers, vets, scientists and government officials, shifts focus to cattle-to-cattle transmission, which occurs 15 times more often than transmission from badgers. The strategy is significant because it marks a major policy reversal on badger culling and introduces a vaccine tool that requires new international trade agreements and a companion diagnostic test.
The UK government is expected to implement a new bovine TB eradication strategy for England that targets cattle vaccination from 2030 and phases out the controversial badger cull by 2029. Developed by the Bovine TB Partnership — comprising more than 100 farmers, vets, scientists and government representatives — the plan acknowledges that cattle-to-cattle transmission accounts for 15 times more TB spread than transmission from badgers. Currently, over 20,000 infected cattle are slaughtered annually at a cost of around £100m to taxpayers, while the badger cull programme, running since 2013, has killed approximately 250,000 animals at a cost of about £60m. Cattle vaccination has long been considered a powerful eradication tool but is currently banned in the EU because vaccinated animals cannot easily be distinguished from infected ones; a companion 'Diva' diagnostic test will therefore also be rolled out in 2030. Diplomatic efforts are underway to secure acceptance of the vaccine and Diva test by the World Organisation for Animal Health and trading partners before 2030, so that beef and dairy exports are not disrupted. Badger vaccination will be expanded in priority areas, with experts noting that while badgers are not the primary driver of the epidemic, they are not entirely irrelevant to eradication efforts. The strategy has received broad support from farming bodies including the National Farmers' Union, though its success depends on meeting ambitious regulatory and diplomatic timelines.
Limitations & open questions
The articles do not detail the specific export markets at risk or the current status of EU regulatory negotiations over the Diva test, nor do they address what happens to farmers' compensation arrangements during the transition period before 2030.
How coverage differed
The Guardian provided extensive detail on the scientific rationale, stakeholder quotes and the contested history of the badger cull, framing the strategy as a science-led consensus shift. The Times headline foregrounded the replacement of culling with vaccination, suggesting a slightly stronger emphasis on the policy reversal aspect, though the underlying story is the same.
What different sources said
Cattle in England to get tuberculosis vaccine from 2030 as badger cull to end
- The TimesCenter
Vaccination ‘should replace badger culls’ to end bovine TB
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