England to Shift Bovine TB Strategy: Cattle Vaccination Starting 2030, Badger Culls to End by 2029
England announced a new strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis by 2038, pivoting from badger culls to cattle vaccination beginning in 2030. The strategy acknowledges that cattle transmit TB to each other 15 times more frequently than from badgers, making cattle-focused interventions the priority. The shift aims to reduce annual losses of £100 million and the slaughter of over 20,000 infected cattle while ending the controversial badger cull program.
England's government has unveiled a comprehensive bovine TB eradication strategy developed collaboratively by farmers, veterinarians, wildlife experts, and officials. The plan centers on vaccinating cattle starting in 2030 using a vaccine already submitted for licensing, alongside a new 'Diva' test to distinguish vaccinated from infected animals. Parallel efforts will expand badger vaccination in priority areas while ending the badger cull by 2029, which has killed approximately 250,000 animals since 2013 at a cost of £60 million. The strategy reflects scientific evidence showing cattle-to-cattle transmission occurs 15 times more frequently than transmission from badgers, indicating the disease is primarily a cattle management problem. Additional measures include improved biosecurity on farms, enhanced testing protocols, and publishing monthly TB risk scores for each cattle herd to reduce transmission through cattle trading. Government officials are conducting diplomatic work to ensure cattle and dairy exports can continue under the new vaccination regime.
What's missing
The articles do not clearly explain why cattle vaccination was previously banned in the EU or provide details on the timeline and costs for developing and rolling out the Diva test and vaccination infrastructure. Additionally, there is limited discussion of how badger vaccination will be implemented or its expected efficacy compared to cattle vaccination.
What different sources said
Cattle in England to get tuberculosis vaccine from 2030 as badger cull to end
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