Labour’s pledge to end the badger cull by 2029 is achievable but will require a Covid-style focus on testing and vaccination, according to a government-commissioned review.
The cull, introduced in 2013 to combat bovine tuberculosis (bTB), has seen more than 210,000 badgers killed. The disease costs taxpayers and farmers an estimated £150m annually and can wipe out entire cattle herds.
The report, led by Sir Charles Godfray, warns that the government’s target to eradicate bTB in England by 2038 has only a “small chance” of success without a “step change” in urgency and resources. It calls for expanded testing, microchipping of cattle to track movements, and scaled-up vaccination programmes for both cattle and badgers.
Godfray said badgers do transmit the disease to cattle, but this does not mean culling is the only option. “Vaccination is a realistic way to stop bovine TB in badgers,” he said, adding that lessons from Covid-19 show how rapid progress is possible with sufficient investment.
Experts highlighted the limitations of the standard skin test and urged wider use of more accurate blood tests, alongside cattle vaccination, to reduce herd transmission.
The farming minister, Daniel Zeichner, said the government remained committed to eradicating bTB and confirmed plans for a new badger vaccinator field force in 2025, alongside continued investment in cattle vaccine development. A new eradication strategy is due early next year.
