TB review calls for tsar and faster action to hit 2038 goal
© Tim Scrivener The government should appoint a single, high-profile leader to take charge of its bovine TB eradication strategy and ramp up investment if it is to meet the 2038 target, a major new review has concluded.
Unveiling the updated review of government policy (PDF) on Wednesday (3 September), lead author Professor Sir Charles Godfray said that while progress has been made, eliminating the disease by 2038 will require a “step change” in urgency, leadership and funding.
See also: Experts to review new evidence in battle against bovine TB
“We are optimistic – a lot can be done,” he said. “But greater urgency is required. We saw during the pandemic how things could move faster.
“We want something equivalent for a disease that costs the taxpayer £100m/year, causes enormous pain to the farming community, and has real effects on wildlife.”
Commenting on the report, NFU president Tom Bradshaw warned: “All the hard work which has seen us achieve the lowest rate of new herd infections in over 20 years in England will be for nothing if the government doesn’t step up and ensure we have the tools needed to continue to fight this devastating disease.”
The report recommends appointing a senior, public-facing individual to co-ordinate the eradication effort across government and industry.
“There is a mindset now of just managing the disease. We need to take eradication seriously,” Sir Charles added.
Since leading the last review in 2018, Sir Charles said key scientific advances, including more sensitive cattle tests and improved genetic sequencing of the TB bacterium, have helped drive down infection rates.
But undetected “hidden infections” in herds remain a major challenge, he noted.
Professor James Wood, of Cambridge University, said improved gamma interferon blood testing, already used in high-risk areas, must now be deployed more widely.
“Farmers should be empowered to use supplementary tests alongside government screening to manage infection within their herds,” he added.
“This could be especially valuable in large dairy herds, where undetected infection is a serious issue.”
The review backs expanding badger vaccination as a non-lethal alternative to culling and calls for faster progress on developing and licensing a cattle vaccine and the accompanying “Diva” test to distinguish infected animals from vaccinated ones.
Defra response
Following a record year for badger vaccination in 2024, Defra says a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force will be deployed next year.
Defra is also developing a cattle vaccine and, along with the Scottish and Welsh governments, has invested over £40m into vaccine-related research.
Responding to the review, Defra farming minister Daniel Zeichner said: “We are determined to eradicate this devastating disease.
“A new TB strategy will be published early next year, and Professor Sir Charles Godfray’s report will be central to shaping it.”
Since 2013, 274,000 TB-infected cattle have been compulsorily slaughtered and more than 230,000 badgers have been culled in England.
In 2024 alone, 21,586 cattle were slaughtered, with £22m paid in compensation.
Cattle vaccine trials making progress, greater urgency needed
Field trials for a bovine TB cattle vaccine are progressing well, with an application for a licence to use BCG now in the process of being submitted by Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Professor James Wood welcomed this “very exciting advance”, but warned that more urgency is needed.
“Vaccination presents huge opportunities for protecting cattle and reducing transmission in herds,” he said, particularly in large herds with persistent or recurrent breakdowns.
The associated Diva test – needed to distinguish infected animals from vaccinated ones – is also advancing, but “significant hurdles remain”, he added.
“To truly realise the total benefits of vaccination, more work is going to be needed – and quite possibly contingency plans may be required,” Prof Wood said.