Wildlife

Badger Welfare in Bovine TB Management

Badgers are implicated in bovine TB transmission in the UK, creating a complex welfare conflict between livestock disease control and wildlife protection.

Key Facts

Badgers are a reservoir host for Mycobacterium bovis causing bovine TB
Culling has been controversial with evidence of limited effectiveness and perturbation effect
Badger vaccination with BCG reduces TB incidence by approximately 74%
England has culled over 200,000 badgers since 2013 in licensed cull zones
Oral bait vaccines are being developed to enable large-scale vaccination without trapping

Welfare Considerations

Both culling and trapping for vaccination cause animal suffering. Culling methods including free shooting have documented welfare concerns with variable killing efficiency. Vaccination, while requiring initial trapping stress, offers a more welfare-aligned long-term solution.

What You Can Do

Support badger vaccination programmes over culling where possible
Advocate for investment in oral vaccine development and delivery
Engage with the science around bovine TB rather than accepting simplified narratives
Support organisations funding badger welfare research