The debate over badger culling in the UK to control bovine tuberculosis raises complex welfare questions for both badgers and cattle. Evidence-based alternatives protect both species more effectively.
Badger welfare in TB control programs involves both the welfare of culled individuals and the disruption of social group structure. Shooting at night results in non-lethal injury in a proportion of targeted badgers, causing suffering before death or survival with wounds. Social group disruption from culling causes perturbation — badgers from disrupted groups move into new areas, potentially spreading infection more widely. The welfare and epidemiological case for vaccination over culling is strong: badger BCG vaccination reduces TB prevalence without causing death or social disruption. Oral bait vaccine delivery systems are in development that would enable vaccination at scale without animal handling. The continued investment in culling over vaccination reflects political and agricultural lobbying influence rather than welfare or epidemiological evidence.