Labour could halt the badger cull, but only with a major investment in testing and vaccination, according to a new government-commissioned report.
The review, led by Sir Charles Godfray, warns ministers have a “small chance” of eradicating bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in England by 2038 without additional resources. The disease costs taxpayers and the cattle industry around £150m annually, and more than 210,000 badgers have been killed since culling began in 2013.
Godfray said evidence shows badgers can spread bTB to cattle, but non-lethal control methods, such as vaccination, could replace culling if properly scaled up. Measures like microchipping cattle to track movements and using more accurate blood tests were also recommended.
“The presence of a threat from badgers does not mean one should be deflected from controlling transmission in cattle,” Godfray said. “Vaccination is a realistic way to stop bovine TB in badgers, but considerable work is needed to scale it up.”
Prof James Wood of Cambridge University added that cattle vaccination could significantly reduce disease transmission in large herds, which are particularly challenging to manage.
Farming minister Daniel Zeichner welcomed the report, highlighting record badger vaccination in 2024 and plans to deploy a new vaccinator field force and develop a cattle vaccine. A comprehensive strategy for eradicating bTB is expected early next year.
