Badger cull Q&A

What was the outcome of the Judicial Review to stop the pilot area?
The Judge has decided that the Minister’s decision to cull badgers as part of a comprehensive TB Eradication programme is reasonable and lawful.

We have said all along that culling can significantly reduce the incidence of TB in cattle. We have also said that its still early days for vaccination and we don’t yet have the evidence that it will be effective

Does this mean that you will now be beginning the cull?
This means that the Welsh Assembly Government can continue to implement our policy to eradicate TB from cattle in Wales. Part of our comprehensive programme to eradicate Bovine TB is removing badgers in a small part of west Wales. Preparatory work in the pilot area will now continue.

What is bovine TB and why is it such a problem?
Bovine TB is an infectious and debilitating animal disease that affects the health and welfare of cattle and other animals.

Bovine TB in Wales is out of control and unsustainable. It has a significant impact on farms, which in turn can have an effect on our food supplies and our rural communities.

Over the past ten years, more than £100,000,000 has been spent on controlling TB. The cost to the taxpayer in compensation to farmers has increased from around £1m in 2000, to just below £24m in 2009.

Over 11,000 cattle were slaughtered for TB in 2009, compared to just under 700 in 1997.

Cattle and badgers are the main sources of bovine TB in the UK.


How are you tackling the disease?
We have set up a comprehensive TB Eradication Programme aimed at tackling all sources of the disease.

The programme has been developed based on advice from experts, including wildlife and animal health scientists and experts. We have also commissioned independent research to inform our programme.

Across Wales, we are tackling the disease in cattle in order to limit and reduce the spread of infection. But we need a different approach in areas where the disease is a really serious problem and tackle the wildlife source of infection as well.

Who supports the programme?
Support for the comprehensive approach adopted by the Welsh Assembly Government includes The British Veterinary Association, representing over 12,000 vets in the UK, and the British Cattle Veterinary Association. It has also received cross party support in Wales.

The consultation on the TB eradication order attracted over 741 responses. 85% of respondents from Wales supported the need for a limited badger cull.

Former Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, Sir David King, has said recently that targeted badger culling is needed to tackle the disease to ensure that the dairy industry in Wales and England does not disappear.


What is the pilot area?
We will pilot an approach never used before in the UK and establish an Intensive Action Pilot Area in a defined part of west Wales, where a limited badger cull will take place alongside stricter cattle disease control measures.

This approach is working in countries like New Zealand, where wild possums and cattle are the main sources of infection, and which has seen a downwards trend in TB in cattle since 2001.


Where is this area?
The pilot will take place in an area where 42% of cattle owners have had at least one case of TB in their herd since 2003. It will be located mainly in north Pembrokeshire, but will also include small areas of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.


How bad is bovine TB in this area?
This area has one of the most serious TB problems in Britain. 42% of cattle owners in this area have had at least one case of TB in their herd since 2003.

Between January 2005 and December 2008, 58% of the compensation paid in Wales was paid to farmers in the west Wales region.


Why was this area chosen?
The pilot area has been chosen because as well as being an area with a serious TB problem it meets the criteria that experts agree are needed for any badger removal project to be successful, including the duration of any cull, size of area, boundaries to restrict badger movements, and land access.


How do you know that badgers are the problem?
Within the pilot area, 30% of the herds in the area in the year prior to their TB breakdown had not had any cattle moving into their herds, suggesting that the source of infection was local. In 2007 a study of dead badgers showed that in west Wales, badgers and cattle carried the same strains of TB. We will carry out a post-mortem on every badger.


Don’t scientists say it won’t work?
Evidence from a number of studies, including the Randomised Badger Culling Trials, shows that culling badgers can substantially reduce TB in cattle. We have learnt lessons from previous trials and will apply them in the pilot area.


How will you prevent perturbation (badger movements)?
The pilot has been designated to minimise the risk of perturbation. Two thirds of the boundary comprises coast, river or open hill grazed by sheep and unfavourable habitat for badgers. In the remainder of the area we have tried to locate it next to sheep grazing or woodland.


How will the badgers be removed?
By trapping and shooting. This has proven to be the most humane approach.


How many badgers will you be culling?
We are conducting a sett survey to assess the numbers of badgers in the area. Based on previous estimations it could be around 1500, but we will know after conducting an assessment of the badger population.


How will the cull be managed and who will be undertaking the cull?
The cull will be government-led, carefully co-ordinated, humane and rigorously evaluated.

Staff working on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government will be professional, responsible and highly trained.


Will you be repopulating the area with badgers?
An independent ecological survey commissioned indicated that within five to ten years of a badger cull ending, the area will become naturally re-populated with badgers. As that happens, we will take preventative action to stop badgers in the area from becoming re-infected.


What about the impact on other wildlife?
An independent ecological consultancy assessed potential consequences that removing badgers may have on other species within and outside the pilot area has been undertaken. Officials from the Countryside Council for Wales have carefully considered the reports.

We are satisfied that we have complied with relevant environmental legislation.


When will the cull start?
It will not begin before the beginning of May, after the end of the closed season.


What cattle measures will be in place within the pilot area?
From 1 May enhanced cattle measures will be in place in the pilot area. These include:

• Testing most cattle herds every six months
• All breakdowns, whether or not “confirmed” post mortem, will require two clear tests (2 x 60 days) before Official TB Free Status is regained and movement restrictions removed.
• All breakdowns will be subject to tracing which will generate additional testing for associated cattle herds.
• Restricting cattle movements within and outside the area. All British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) linkages and Sole Occupancy Authorities (SOAs) between holdings inside and outside the IAPA are being cancelled, requiring farmers to report all movements to BCMS.

Farmers are also receiving visits from their private vets to discuss biosecurity arrangements.

Across Wales, we have been implementing stricter cattle measures, and infected cattle are now being identified earlier because of additional testing and removed more quickly.

We intend to amend legislation that will allow us to strengthen pre movement testing regulations, and penalise farmers who do not comply with TB requirements or have overdue tests by cutting their compensation.


Are you worried about protests and attempted disruption?
We have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Police.

Badgers are a protected species under the Protection of Badgers Act 1991 which remains in force and any evidence of illegal activity will be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecutions undertaken.


Why don’t vaccinate badgers instead?
We are considering the role of vaccination, but it is still early days. We have made clear since establishing our comprehensive programme that we will consider the use of all available tools that are proven and effective.

A badger vaccine has just been licensed and a project is taking place in five areas in England to assess the practicality of vaccinating badgers in the field.

Vaccination does not stop infected badgers from spreading infection and so is not an effective strategy in an area where TB is rife in cattle and badgers

Research is also taking place into cattle vaccination, but it will be years before we expect the results of this to be available.


Have landowners in the pilot area been co-operative so far?
We have undertaken visits to most landowners in the area as part of our work defining the boundary. Less than 10% of landowners have refused to co-operate, and the overwhelming majority of cattle owners in the area support the pilot.


Will you extend the Pilot Area and cull badgers in other parts of Wales?
The pilot will be monitored and evaluated closely before any decision is taken on extending it to other areas where TB is a big problem. TB is not a problem in all parts of Wales and removing badgers would always be limited to areas where the disease is out of control.

The impact on other wildlife will also be monitored.


Will this get rid of TB from the area?
Our aim is to eradicate bovine TB from the area but it may take up to three years before we see reduction in TB cattle in the area.

We hope that measures we have put in place across Wales will begin to impact on the statistics in the next few years.


What about the impact on visitors to the area?
This pilot will be non-intrusive and shouldn’t impact on visitors or the local community. We are working with Visit Wales and the local tourism bodies to address any issues that could arise.

We are working with landowners, some of whom are tourism businesses, to make sure the activity does not impact on their business.

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