UK: Labour government’s new bTB eradication strategy
It’s a disease that costs the UK taxpayer over £100 million every year and one that puts farmers under great financial and mental pressure. Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) is out of control in some areas of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and has put numerous farmers out of business.
Since September 2009, Scotland has been officially free of tuberculosis, but controls are in place to ensure this status is maintained.
On top of the huge costs, over the last 10 years, 278,000 cattle have been slaughtered and over 230,000 badgers have been killed in efforts to control bTB in the UK. Some farmers have found the pressure too much when their herds were destroyed, which has led to devastating consequences in many cases.
Different approaches to wipe out bTB in the UK hotspots have failed to get the disease under control, including a controversial badger culling programme. The arguments are that badgers carry bTB and pass it on to cattle through livestock feed, drinking water, etc.
New eradication strategy
However, standing true on its mandate promise, the new Labour government in the UK has launched a comprehensive TB eradication strategy, which will see the end of the badger cull. Instead, the government aims to introduce a new eradication strategy working with farmers, vets, scientists and conservationists to rapidly strengthen and deploy a range of disease control measures.
The new strategy will mark a significant step-change in approach to tackle this devastating disease, driving down bTB rates and saving farmers’ livelihoods and businesses. It will use a data-led and scientific approach to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament.
Collaboration and badger data
UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “Bovine tuberculosis is one of the most difficult and prolonged animal disease challenges we face, causing devastation for farming communities. There is no single way to combat it, and a refreshed strategy will continue to be led by the very best scientific and epidemiological evidence. With the disease on a downward trajectory, we are at a crucial point. Working in collaboration with government and stakeholders will be the only way we achieve our target to eradicate bovine tuberculosis in England by 2038.”
Some of the steps the government is taking include the first badger population survey in over a decade. The last major badger survey was carried out between 2011 and 2013, leaving policymakers with no clear idea of the impact culling techniques have on badger populations.
A new national wildlife surveillance programme is to provide an up-to-date understanding of disease in badgers and other wildlife such as deer. Together with updated estimates of badger abundance, this will unlock a data-driven approach to inform how and where bTB vaccines and other eradication measures are to be deployed to drive down rates. And, there will be a new badger vaccination programme launched to create healthier badger populations that are less susceptible to catching and transmitting bTB.
Cattle vaccine
The government also insists it will accelerate work to develop a cattle vaccine to help eradicate the disease, saying it aims to deliver an effective cattle bTB vaccination strategy within the next few years to achieve officially ‘officially free of tuberculosis’ status for England.
UK Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner, said: “Bovine tuberculosis has devastated British farmers and wildlife for far too long. It has placed dreadful hardship and stress on farmers who continue to suffer the loss of valued herds and has taken a terrible toll on our badger populations. No more. Our comprehensive TB eradication package will allow us to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament and stop the spread of this horrific disease.”
The government will also publish additional information about animal and herd-level bTB risk; for example, the date and type of the most recent TB test completed in the herd of origin of that animal and how long the animal has been in the herd. This greater level of detail will be made available on ibTB, which is a free interactive map to help cattle farmers and their vets understand the level of bTB in their area and manage the risks when purchasing cattle.
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