Cattle TB vaccine field trials enter next phase
© Tim Scrivener Efforts to eradicate bovine TB took a major step forward today as the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) announced the launch of Phase 3 field trials for a cattle vaccine and its companion skin test.
The trials, involving at least 750 animals across 10 commerical farms across the low-risk area in England and the low TB area in Wales, are due to be completed in 2026.
They aim to generate critical data to support the deployment of the cattle BCG vaccine and the Diva (detect infected among vaccinated animals) diagnostic skin test – a combination that experts hope will offer a breakthrough in controlling the disease.
See also: Bovine TB: 2038 eradication goal achievable with bold action
“The first two phases of the field trials have successfully demonstrated that the vaccine and skin test are safe to use,” said Dr Camille Szmaragd Harrison, Apha’s lead TB scientist.
“This third phase has been designed to provide additional information to guide how they can be deployed most effectively to support England and Wales eradication strategies.”
Bovine TB remains one of the UK’s most persistent animal health problems, costing taxpayers around £100m/year in England, with a further £50m cost to the wider farming industry.
In 2023-24 alone, more than 60,000 TB-infected cattle were culled in England and Wales to curb the spread of the disease.
Phase 3 will further test the companion Diva skin test – needed to differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated cattle – on a broader group of vaccinated herds and assess how the combined approach might be deployed more widely.
The results will inform applications for marketing authorisation in Great Britain, bringing a potential vaccine rollout a step closer.
UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to develop effective TB cattle vaccines, and we are moving ever closer to having an operable vaccine.
“That we are reaching this stage is testament to our world-leading scientists, but also to the vets and farmers that have taken part in this trial and previous trials.”
TB eradication goals
Wales’ chief veterinary officer, Richard Irvine, added: “It marks another important step towards having a deployable cattle TB vaccine and to meet the target of a TB-free Wales by 2041.”
The UK government has committed to eradicating bovine TB in England by 2038.
Defra says a cattle TB vaccine, if approved, could save thousands of animals from culling and offer farmers a vital new disease control tool.
It hopes the vaccine and Diva test will be deployable within the next few years, pending regulatory approval.