Farmers to get support vaccinating badgers

Farmers in Cornwall will soon be able to administer badger vaccinations themselves to stop the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

The UK's National Farmers Union (NFU) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) will work with farmers across the region as part of government plans to end badger culling.

The programme will launch later this year and comes as new figures show the number of badgers culled in England in 2024 fell by 12% compared to 2023.

A total of 4,110 badgers were also vaccinated against the disease in England last year, an increase of more than 1,000 from 2023.

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said the figures show "the clear progress we are making" to deliver a bTB eradication package "to end badger culling by the end of this parliament".

"Bovine tuberculosis has devastated British farmers and wildlife for far too long," he added.

"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."

Dr Christine Middlemiss, chief veterinary officer, said: "The disease is on a very positive downward trajectory following years of hard work, as vaccinations continues to increase and we remain committed to take a data-led and scientific approach as we transition to fully adopting non-lethal control methods for managing this insidious disease."

Last August, a four-year pilot vaccination programme showed the percentage of badgers testing positive for bTB in Cornwall in the study area dropped from 16% to 0%.

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