England reports a cull-free year as bovine-TB cases fall

England has gone a full year without a badger cull for the first time in more than a decade, while new bovine-TB herd breakdowns have fallen for a fifth consecutive year. The government’s updated strategy shifts emphasis towards testing, cattle vaccination and badger vaccination.

Defra reports 20,244 cattle were removed in the latest period, 4% fewer than a year earlier. Its programme includes fieldwork towards a cattle vaccine and companion test, expanded wildlife surveillance and a goal of vaccination rollout by 2030.

Badger Trust cautions that the standard skin test can miss infected cattle and wants improved testing made widely available. One year cannot prove the new approach caused falling cases, and eradication by 2038 remains an ambition.

Still, fewer herd breakdowns alongside a cull-free year shows that disease control and wildlife protection can now be pursued through the same practical toolkit, while keeping stronger testing at the centre of future work.

Sources

• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs — Government bid to make England TB-free by 2038
• Independent supporting source