Badger TB testing and cull trial begins in Northern Ireland

A pilot badger Test, Vaccinate or Remove (TVR) programme has started in Northern Ireland, with badgers testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (TB) being culled as part of a major cross-border research initiative.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) confirmed that field operations began on 14 July within a 235sq km pilot area in the Derry City and Strabane District Council region.

The project also extends into north-east Donegal as part of a joint TB research programme between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

See also: See also: Joint Ireland-NI bovine TB project secures £9.6m

The initiative forms part of a £10m research effort aimed at reducing bovine TB levels and providing scientific evidence to guide future eradication policies.

While the project involves wildlife intervention, Daera stressed that it is separate from its ongoing public consultation on bovine TB control measures, which closes on 25 September 2026.

According to information released under a Freedom of Information request, badgers are first trapped following a period of cage placement and baiting.

Captured animals are then sedated and tested for bovine TB using the Dual Path Platform (DPP) blood test.

Each badger undergoes a health assessment and is weighed, measured, microchipped and sampled for hair analysis.

Animals testing positive for bovine TB are euthanised, while those testing negative are vaccinated and released at the point of capture.

Daera said the DPP test was validated during a previous Northern Ireland TVR study conducted in County Down between 2014 and 2018.

Analysis from that project found the test had a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 98% when used in badgers.

The Northern Ireland element of the research programme is expected to cost £10.75m between 2025-26 and 2031-32.

Funding includes £4m from the Public Sector Transformation Fund and €6.4m (£5.48m) from the Shared Island Fund, with the remaining balance provided by Daera.

The trial coincides with Daera’s consultation on potential wildlife intervention measures, including badger culling, Bovine Tuberculosis in Northern Ireland: Blueprint for Eradication.

NI agriculture minister Andrew Muir has previously stated that no decisions on wider badger intervention policies will be taken until consultation responses have been reviewed.

Reaction

The badger TVR project has attracted criticism from bovine TB researcher Tom Langton, who argues that the methodology is incapable of demonstrating the true effectiveness of wildlife intervention measures.

Mr Langton, an outspoken critic of badger culling, claims that the DPP test may result in healthy badgers being culled and believes resources would be better directed towards improved cattle testing methods, including phage-based blood culture testing.

He also described the project as a repeat of the previous Northern Ireland TVR study conducted near Banbridge between 2014 and 2018, which he says suggested badgers played only a limited role in the spread of bovine TB.

“The massive herd-testing failures and government slaughter compensation-cost crisis cannot be glossed over with dubious research,” he said.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union has been approached for comment.