Badger culling at crossroads: can testing and vaccination replace killing?

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The future of the controversial badger cull in the UK is under renewed scrutiny as a government report suggests that the Labour Party could end the mass culling of badgers if it commits to large-scale testing and vaccination programmes similar to those deployed during the Covid-19 pandemic.



The report warns that while ministers’ plans to end the cull are feasible, they come at a significant financial cost. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), which badgers can transmit to cattle, is already estimated to cost the UK economy around £150 million each year in losses to taxpayers and the farming industry.

Since culling began in 2013, more than 210,000 badgers have been killed in an attempt to contain the disease. But experts are still divided, with conservationists arguing that culling is cruel and ineffective, while many farmers see it as a necessary measure to protect their livelihoods.

In its 2024 election manifesto, the Labour government pledged to phase out badger culling entirely by 2029. However, the latest results highlight that such a move cannot be successful without expanding alternatives. Strategies outlined include more thorough testing of cattle herds, increased vaccination of both cattle and badgers, and investment in disease control research.

Animal rights campaigners welcomed the report’s focus on science rather than slaughter. “This is a chance to end years of unnecessary killing and make decisions that protect both cattle and wildlife,” said one campaigner. But farmers remain cautious, warning that delays or underfunding could lead to devastating losses.

The debate highlights a wider question: should wild animals pay the price for diseases linked to intensive farming, or can modern science provide a fairer balance between animal welfare and agricultural safety?

The fate of Britain’s badgers now depends on whether politicians are prepared to replace the rifle with the syringe.

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