Defra awards £15m badger vaccination contract

A major new drive to control bovine tuberculosis (TB) has been launched after Defra awarded a £15.2m contract to Farmcare Solutions to expand badger vaccination across England.

The joint venture – made up of IVC Evidensia, Obligace, UK Farmcare and VetPartners – will act as the national co-ordinator and delivery lead for the Badger Vaccination Field Force (BVFF), overseeing the rollout of government-funded vaccination.

The programme will work with local veterinary and agricultural partners across “bovine TB clusters” identified by Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha).

See also: Bovine TB strategy must progress quicker, Defra told

In the first year, the project will focus on south Oxfordshire, north Worcestershire and north Shropshire.

As the project progresses, further cluster areas will be added, and existing areas expanded – with the aim of having up to nine vaccination areas covering a total of 225,000ha across England.

The NFU backed the bid from Farmcare Solutions and has offered to assist with farmer recruitment for the programme. For further details on how to sign up, visit the BVFF website .

Speaking on behalf of Defra, deputy chief veterinary officer Ele Brown, said: “Expanding the ability to use badger vaccination in England is a key part of our toolbox to control bovine TB.

“We have now awarded the contract to Farmcare Solutions to roll out the successful East Sussex model to more areas where bovine TB is high and worsening.

“The new field force adds another targeted control measure, supporting on farm biosecurity and our core cattle measures, while protecting badgers from infection.”

Recruitment drive

Badger in cage to be vaccinated © Hurst Animal Health

Farmcare Solutions will also recruit local delivery partners to carry out surveying, trapping and vaccination work, with recruitment beginning this month and field operations expected to start later in the spring.

Dr Lindsay Heasman, project manager for the Badger Vaccination Field Force, said: “I’m really excited to be part of the team expanding badger vaccination across England, and to share the lessons and experiences from the Vesba [Vaccinating East Sussex Badgers] project as it enters its sixth vaccination season.”

But she added: “We all recognise that vaccinating badgers is only part of the solution, and we will continue to work closely with cattle keepers on additional measures to reduce both the risk and impact of a bovine TB breakdown.”

Dr Heasman also pointed to existing research on vaccine effectiveness. “There is information on the TB Hub about the science that has been done.

“I believe that if there is infection in a wildlife population, then vaccination has got to be beneficial for that species themselves – the badgers,” she said.

TB Advisory Service contract

Farmcare Solutions already holds the TB Advisory Service contract in England and says it looks forward to working with Defra and Apha on the new initiative, which forms part of the government’s long-term aim of achieving officially TB-free status for England by 2038.

The contract is valued at £15,158,014, excluding VAT, and will run from March 2026 to March 2030, with the option to extend for up to two further years.