Bovine tuberculosis in cattle is partly maintained by badger populations across the UK, creating a decades-long conflict between farmers and wildlife advocates — with oral vaccination emerging as the most welfare-positive management tool.
Badger welfare in TB management is significant — culling causes acute pain from shooting injuries, and the social disruption of removing badgers leads to ranging behaviour changes that can paradoxically increase TB spread (perturbation effect). Vaccination avoids these harms while addressing the underlying disease reservoir. The evidence increasingly supports vaccination over culling on both welfare and epidemiological grounds, though farmer trust and programme costs remain barriers to full transition.