Labour could end the badger cull by 2029, but only with a major focus on testing and vaccinating, according to a new government-commissioned report.
Badgers are culled to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) to cattle, a disease costing taxpayers and farmers around £150m a year. Over 210,000 badgers have been killed since the cull began in 2013.
Sir Charles Godfray, author of the report, said current investment in testing and vaccination of cattle and badgers is insufficient to eradicate bTB. Ministers have only a “small chance” of meeting the government target of 2038 without a significant step-up in resources and urgency.
The report stresses that badgers do transmit bTB to cattle, but culling is not the only solution. Godfray recommended non-lethal measures, including cattle microchipping and expanded vaccination programmes, noting that lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic show how rapidly disease control can progress with focus.
Scientists warned that lack of funding for Defra, APHA, and local authorities is slowing progress, while hi-tech cattle tests and vaccination could help reduce transmission.
Farming minister Daniel Zeichner welcomed the report and said a new badger vaccinator field force will be deployed next year. He confirmed ongoing research into a cattle vaccine and promised a comprehensive strategy early in 2026 to guide bTB eradication by 2038.
