Badger survey - our response

25 Sep 2006

A study of badgers discovered dead on roads on roads in Wales has shown that 12% were infected with boving tuberculosis (bTB).

The survey was carried out by the Welsh Assembly Government and involved 459 badgers. Clive Faulkner, the Welsh Wildlife Trusts’ agriculture spokesman, said the data now needed to be carefully analysed to produce a greater understanding of how the disease behaved on farms.

"The Welsh Wildlife Trusts acknowledge the magnitude of the bTB problem in Wales, and we are committed to helping to find an effective and appropriate solution," he said. "To achieve this, the Trusts - like the Welsh Assembly Government - believe that action must be based on evidence.

"The raw data needs to be carefully analysed before we can learn more about how to control bTB. This analysis will be available in the spring 2007. Interestingly, a similar study in England, published in 2005, found no correlation between bTB in road-killed badgers and cattle.

"The Welsh study appears to show that bTB-infected badgers were not found in areas where there were few or no cattle. This strongly suggests that the disease is not readily transmitted from badger to badger, and that badgers were more likely to acquire the disease from cattle than vice versa. To be certain, we must wait until the statistical analysis has been done.

"Biosecurity remains a key issue, and farmers must continue to be vigilant."

Environment, Planning and Countryside Minister Carwyn Jones said: "I welcome the release of this information as it is important that we improve our evidence base and these results will provide additional current and specific evidence for Wales, which was previously unavailable. The collection of badgers was a success, with excellent co-operation from everyone concerned and results being available sooner than expected.

"I have now provided both the Found Dead Survey and Regional Population Survey reports to the Wales TB Action Group for their consideration and to help inform their on-going advice to me. I look forward to receiving their views and also the report on the interpretation of the results by the Veterinary Laboratory Agency which is due in January."

Read full details of the Welsh Assembly Governnment survey Dead badger survey WAG Sept 06

Badgers and bTB: The facts

The incidence of bTB in Welsh cattle is unacceptably high.

We now know that bTB is present in Welsh badgers, deer, and a number of other species

Research has shown that a cull of badgers would either make matters worse or would be on such a scale as to be wholly unacceptable, both economically and morally.

We know that on-farm biosecurity measures can dramatically reduce the incidence of bTB. We also know that the new pre-movement testing regimes will prevent new incidences, and that the gamma interferon test trials may make this even more effective.

There is a strong belief that bTB is transmitted from a range of wildlife species - including badgers- to cattle, although scientists identify cattle-to-cattle as the main source of transmission.

The way forward

The Wildlife Trusts believe the solution lies in biosecurity, TB testing and, eventually, vaccination. Then can work to prevent transmission to and between cattle. The Welsh Assembly Government has made a good start on this with its work on biosecurity and the new system of pre-movement TB testing. As a result of this work, the Wildlife Trusts expect to see a significant decline in the number of outbreaks in future.

Clearly, the disease in wildlife populations should also be addressed. The best way is through vaccination. Research into a badger vaccine is being carried out by Defra and field trails are being undertaken on aWildlife Trust nature reserve in England to assess the susceptibility of vaccinated badgers to the disease.