Badger vaccination grant scheme open to applicants
Farmers in Wales who suspect badgers are infecting their cattle with bovine TB can apply for Welsh government vaccination grants.
The application window for the grants opened on 14 October. The government has agreed to fund 50% of the cost of vaccinating badgers on land outside the North Pembrokeshire Intensive Action Area – but farmers will have to bid for funding from a £1.25m pot of money set aside for the initiative. It is estimated it costs about £600 to vaccinate a badger.
Farm minister Alun Davies sees the badger vaccination grant as a means of achieving the Welsh government’s goal of a TB-free Wales.
“There is no quick fix to eradicating TB. It requires a long-term approach that includes a number of different measures and relies upon the support and co-operation of Welsh farmers and landowners,” he said.
The £1.25m vaccination programme will be delivered over five years. The first application window runs until 13 December and farmers whose bids are successful can begin vaccinating from May 2014.
Christianne Glossop, chief veterinary officer for Wales, is confident vaccination can increase the level of immunity to bovine TB in the badger population.
The vaccination project in the Intensive Action Area – now in its second year – will continue to be delivered and funded by the Welsh government.
More on badger vaccination in Wales
More on bovine TB and the badger cull