Bovine tuberculosis in cattle creates welfare harm for both cattle subject to testing and slaughter, and badgers subject to culling programs, with ongoing debate about the relative effectiveness and ethics of different control strategies.
Bovine TB creates welfare harm across multiple species. Cattle that test positive are compulsorily slaughtered regardless of clinical signs, and movement restrictions cause management stress for farmers and herds. Badgers subject to culling experience death through shooting, with cage-trapping and dispatch methods carrying welfare concerns about non-target captures and wounding rates. The welfare case for badger vaccination over culling is strong if vaccination achieves comparable disease control. Cattle vaccination would address the disease at source while eliminating the welfare harm of current culling and slaughter programs.