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TB cull decision due in February

FARMERS WEEKLY
Fri 12 November 201, page 10 by Johann Tasker

A decision on a badger cull to combat bovine tuberculosis in England will be announced in February, a DEFRA business plan has revealed.


Caption: A year in politics... 12 months on andprotesting farmers may see  a reversal of cull policy.

The timetable paves the way for a ministerial announcement at the conference exactly a year after former DEFRA secretary Hilary Benn used the same event to rule out a badger cull - despite pleas from farmers wearing black armbands.

Prime Minister David Cameron published the DEFRA business plan as he launched a website setting out in detail the government's work programme for the next four years.

The plans include departmental priorities, details of departmental structures and civil servant salaries, ministerial meetings and hospitality, as well as financial information and structural reform plans.

In a separate move, DEFRA has also published details of the scientific studies that led to the first tuberculosis vaccine for badgers The Veterinary Medicines Directorate licensed the Badger BCG vaccine in March this year.

Carried out by two government agencies, the studies show that the vaccination of badgers by injection with BCG significantly reduces the progression, severity and excretion of Mycobactrium bovis infection.

The field study was conducted over four years among more than 800 naturally-infected wild badgers in Gloucestershire.

Vaccination saw a 74% drop in the proportion of wild badgers testing positive to the TB antibody blood test.

The findings indicated a clear effect of vaccination on badger disease, said DEFRA. A scientific paper of the research is due to be published by the Royal Society (Biological Sciences).

 

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