The management of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in the UK and Ireland has created one of the most contentious wildlife welfare debates in Europe. Badgers (Meles meles) are a wildlife reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis, and badger culling has been deployed as a bTB control measure in England since 2013. Welfare concerns with culling include the use of cage trapping followed by shooting, free shooting (with wounding rates estimated at 7-25%), and the stress of prolonged trap confinement. Scientific evidence on culling effectiveness is disputed: the Krebs trial found culling reduced cattle bTB by 19-28% in culled areas but increased it in surrounding zones (perturbation effect). Vaccination with BCG is an effective and welfare-positive alternative, reducing bTB prevalence in vaccinated badger populations by 70-74%. England introduced injectable BCG vaccination programmes alongside culling from 2019. An oral bait vaccine (BCG in fishmeal bait) under development would eliminate capture welfare issues entirely.