Researchers are calling for greater oversight of Wales’s badger vaccination programme to assess its impact on bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and improve confidence among farmers and veterinarians.
A new policy briefing recommends increased monitoring of badger vaccination, a comprehensive review of the available evidence and closer collaboration with farmers to ensure the programme delivers the greatest possible impact.
The researchers said several key questions remain unanswered, including how many badgers have been vaccinated, whether badger vaccination has reduced bovine tuberculosis levels in cattle and how confidence in the programme can be strengthened among farmers and veterinary professionals.
Dr Niall McCune, a lecturer in the School of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University and vice-chair of the British Ecological Society’s Wales Policy Group, said bovine tuberculosis remains “one of the biggest animal health challenges facing Wales”.
Dr McCune said badger vaccination should not be presented as a standalone solution for eradicating bovine tuberculosis.
“Although there is strong evidence that BCG vaccination protects badgers, evidence that operational badger vaccination programmes reduce bovine tuberculosis in cattle remains limited,” he said.
“Benefits for cattle are likely to depend on sustained, sufficiently widespread badger vaccination alongside effective cattle health and disease-management measures.”
He stressed that Wales needs more than simply increased vaccination numbers. The programme must deliver better-targeted, measured and independently evaluated badger vaccinations.
“By combining non-invasive genetic monitoring with sett surveys, camera traps and movement data, we can estimate local badger populations, confirm the proportion of animals reached and identify critical gaps in vaccination coverage,” he added.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk