SS15 wildlife watching: New scientific study reveals that Badger culling has had no effect in reducing bTB in cattle

A Badger cull intended to control bovine tuberculosis (bTB) has not worked and should be ended a scientific study has suggested.

The decade-long plan that started in Gloucestershire and Somerset has so far needlessly killed over 143,000 Badgers.

A rigorous independent analysis of Government data now shows mass Badger culling is not effective at stamping out bTB in cows.

Using the Government's own data for the period between 2009 and 2020 on the incidence and prevalence of bTB, independent scientists have shown that Badger culling has had no effect in reducing bTB in cattle.

A paper published by the Veterinary Record journal and scientists who oppose the Badger cull, claims it has "cost a fortune and saved nothing".

The study concludes that incidences of bTB reduction were due to cattle measures implemented either before the Badger cull ever began or during the cull period.

This rigorous and in-depth examination of Government data, over a large area and a long time frame, reinforces other studies and what the Badger Trust has long been stating …. mass Badger culling is ineffective in reducing bTB in cattle.

The analysis of 11 years of data, from both within and outside cull zones, shows no correlation between Badger culling and a decline in bTB in cattle. Further analysis of 10 county areas considered high-risk-areas for bTB shows that in 9 out of 10 of these counties, bTB in cattle peaked and then began to fall before the Government ever implemented a Badger cull.

The study also dismissed the broad sweeping conclusions of a study that DEFRA repeatedly cites as their justification for the Badger cull. The Downs et al. (2019) study claims to have shown a decline in bTB in 3 pilot cull areas from 2013 to 2017. This is despite the authors themselves highlighting that they were unable to isolate other influences for this decline such as improved veterinary advice or improved biosecurity on farms.

A repeat study found no reliable downward trend in bTB in cattle related to the Badger cull and in Gloucestershire – one of the pilot areas – it uncovered a 130% increase in bTB in cattle in the 12 months after the Downs study ended.

Peter Hambly, Executive Director of the Badger Trust, said:

“This new study in Vet Record provides yet more irrefutable evidence that the Badger cull is not working to stop, or even slow, the spread of bTB in cattle. It highlights the need for large-scale comprehensive data when designing disease control methods, not selective cherry-picking as we have seen from the Government.”

He added:

“Put simply, the Badger cull has to stop immediately – there is no basis for it to continue. This study shows that the Government’s bTB eradication policy is not working and wastes taxpayer money on a grand scale. The cull is an unnecessary wildlife tragedy of unprecedented proportions and diverts DEFRA away from enforcing robust cattle measures.

Over 143,000 Badgers have been needlessly killed to date, and we predict at least another 140,000 will be slaughtered under current intensive cull licences that won’t end until 2026.”

“What’s worrying is that the data for this latest study were all sourced from DEFRA’s own records. They publish these figures publicly and yet had failed to notice this startling revelation. Given the shocking facts from these data and the internal analyses DEFRA must have been doing on this, we are left wondering why they have not stopped the cull sooner and why they continue to use it as their key strategy for dealing with bTB in cattle.

Badger Trust maintains that the most likely and harmful reservoir of bTB disease in cattle is from other cattle, especially now it is known that the main skin-test used to detect bTB in cattle (SICCT test) still misses a large number of infected animals.

Badger Trust continues to challenge the myth that Badgers are the primary cause of the spread of bTB in cattle. The Government needs to focus more on cattle and less on Badgers. It is cattle measures, such as better slurry management, more accurate movement tests, cattle vaccination, comprehensive disinfection and farmer education, that will reduce the spread of this awful disease”.

During the same time period of this study, Wales has achieved a greater reduction in bTB disease control using cattle measures without widespread culling of Badgers.

The other cherry-picking piece of data the Government relies on is the Godfray report (2018), a Government-initiated look at bTB strategies. Along with the over-interpretation of the Downs paper, this report is used to justify the Badger cull. Yet areas of the report focusing on tackling bTB have been ignored or minimised.

The Godfray report itself acknowledges, “The decision whether or not to cull Badgers must be informed by evidence which provides important information on likely outcomes.” It appears DEFRA had this evidence all along.

DEFRA has yet to supply evidence on the regular monitoring of the effect of culling for disease control. The Badger Trust hopes that this latest comprehensive analysis of DEFRA’s own data provides them with the evidence they need to steer bTB measures in the right direction …. firmly away from Badgers to a focus on cattle-based measures.

Badger Trust - New scientific study reveals that Badger culling has had no effect in reducing bTB in cattle