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1700847

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding UK-based studies of the (a) use of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine to prevent bovine tuberculosis, (b) period of effectiveness of that vaccine and (c) benefits of that vaccine to the beef industry.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	21611
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>Developing a deployable cattle bovine TB vaccine is one of the government’s top priorities. Field trials have been taking place in England and Wales since 2021, following a major breakthrough by government scientists in the development of a new DIVA skin test to Detect Infected among Vaccinated Animals. The aim of these trials is to gather information to enable both the CattleBCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine and the new DIVA skin test to be authorised for use and recognised internationally.</p><p> </p><p>CattleBCG stimulates a protective immune response in vaccinated cattle. In the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)’s experimental challenge model vaccinated animals display a range of protection and demonstrate a 12 month duration of immunity. The extent of disease reduction from CattleBCG depends on many factors including severity of exposure to bTB and herd immunity. Establishing the true level of protection afforded by vaccines is only possible by monitoring and assessing performance after licensing and routine use in the population vaccinated. When combined with existing disease control measures, we are confident that widespread vaccination will help to further reduce the incidence of bTB and its impact on cattle farms in England.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work in partnership with stakeholders, alongside colleagues in Scotland and Wales, to assess how this potential new tool could be deployed in the future and provide the greatest possible benefit to our herds for generations to come.</p><p> </p><p>Information on the development of a bovine TB cattle vaccine can be found on the TB Hub at <a href="https://tbhub.co.uk/resources/frequently-asked-questions/development-of-a-deployable-tuberculosis-vaccine-for-cattle/" target="_blank">https://tbhub.co.uk/resources/frequently-asked-questions/development-of-a-deployable-tuberculosis-vaccine-for-cattle/</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 22/04/2024 16:16:37 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1690191

registered interest
date	19/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is their target for the number of badgers to be vaccinated against bovine tuberculosis in England in 2024.
tabling member printed	Lord Krebs
uin	HL2554
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2024 answer text <p>There is no specific target number for badger vaccination in 2024. In 2023, just over 3,000 badgers were vaccinated in England. This was the highest annual number vaccinated since the vaccine was authorised in 2010. Whilst we expect numbers to increase this year, the absolute number vaccinated will depend on which areas are targeted and factors such as weather and annual changes in badger populations.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 27/02/2024 17:17:58 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	3736 label Biography information for Lord Krebs

1677928

registered interest
date	13/12/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on field trials of bovine TB vaccination of cattle; and what his planned timescale is for a full roll-out of a vaccine.
tabling member constituency	East Yorkshire
tabling member printed	Sir Greg Knight
uin	6758
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2023 answer text <p>Developing a vaccine against TB in cattle is one of the government’s top priorities. Defra aims to have a deployable cattle TB vaccine (‘CattleBCG’) and a new companion DIVA skin test (to detect infected among vaccinated animals) in the next few years. Field trials of the CattleBCG vaccine and the DIVA skin test started in 2021 and are ongoing.</p><p> </p><p>Final deployment will rely on the success of the ongoing field trials, achieving UK Marketing Authorisations from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) (for both CattleBCG and the companion DIVA skin test), gaining international recognition through the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) and our trading partners for both products, an IT system to record and trace vaccinated cattle, and acceptance of vaccination from stakeholders across the supply chain. Defra is working closely with industry to co-design policy proposals.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 22/12/2023 16:02:38 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	1200 label Biography information for Sir Greg Knight

1658425

registered interest
date	05/09/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the DIVA test will be approved for TB.
tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
tabling member printed	Sir Bill Wiggin
uin	197714
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>Developing a vaccine against TB in cattle is one of the Government’s top priorities. Defra aims to have a deployable cattle TB vaccine (‘CattleBCG’) and a new companion DIVA skin test (to detect infected among vaccinated animals) in the next few years. Field trials of the CattleBCG vaccine and the DIVA skin test started in 2021 and are ongoing.</p><p> </p><p>Final deployment will rely on the success of the ongoing field trials, achieving UK Marketing Authorisations from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) (for both CattleBCG and the companion DIVA skin test), gaining international recognition through WOAH and our trading partners for both products, an IT system to record and trace vaccinated cattle, and acceptance of vaccination from stakeholders across the supply chain. Defra is working closely with industry to co-design policy proposals that will be brought to public consultation. This would pave the way for removing or relaxing legal barriers to CattleBCG and DIVA skin test use in England and Wales.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 11/09/2023 16:05:41 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1647947

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on vaccinating badgers to tackle the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
tabling member constituency	Luton North
tabling member printed	Sarah Owen
uin	191218
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2023 answer text <p>We have undertaken government-funded badger vaccination in several areas where four-year intensive badger culling has ended and are continuing to bolster our capability to deploy even more badger vaccination in post-cull areas from this year.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has provided financial support for a 5-year project in East Sussex to support delivery of vaccination over 250 squared kilometres. The project is in its third year and provides a template for future large-scale badger vaccination approaches. Cage-trapping and vaccination training courses continue to be streamlined to make them less time-consuming and more accessible, with further funding to develop an e-learning platform this year. In June 2022, we launched a new simplified licence for vaccinating badgers, significantly reducing the administrative burden for those who are trained to undertake this activity.</p><p> </p><p>We have also applied a new subsidy to the BadgerBCG vaccine. This cuts the cost of the vaccine by almost 50%, making it more accessible to vaccination groups. This, and other initiatives will make it easier and should encourage more farmers, landowners, and other groups to get involved in badger vaccination.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 29/06/2023 12:44:04 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4777 label Biography information for Sarah Owen

1645210

registered interest
date	15/06/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in relation to a vaccine against bovine tuberculosis.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hayman of Ullock
uin	HL8540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2023 answer text <p>Developing a vaccine against TB in cattle is one of the Government’s top priorities and will complement the already existing use of BadgerBCG.</p><p> </p><p>Defra aims to have a deployable cattle TB vaccine (CattleBCG) in the next few years. In 2021, world-leading cattle TB vaccination field trials began as a result of a major breakthrough by Government scientists on the development of a new DIVA skin test to Detect Infected among Vaccinated Animals.</p><p> </p><p>The UK is closer to being able to vaccinate cattle than we have ever been before, but there is still a lot of work to do. Final deployment will rely on the success of the ongoing field trials, achieving Marketing Authorisations from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (for both CattleBCG and the companion DIVA skin test), gaining international recognition for both products, an IT system to record and trace vaccinated cattle, and acceptance of vaccination from across the range of stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>A Government-industry collaborative working group has been established to co-design initial deployment policy proposals which will inform a public consultation.</p><p> </p><p>Vaccinating cattle against bTB will be a valuable addition to the toolbox but will not replace existing control measures. Maintaining biosecurity measures on farm, avoiding risky movements of cattle and complying with testing protocols remain as important as ever in the fight against bovine TB.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 28/06/2023 16:53:47 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

1641806

registered interest
date	05/06/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress she has made on developing a vaccine for cattle against Bovine Tuberculosis.
tabling member constituency	West Worcestershire
tabling member printed	Harriett Baldwin
uin	187630
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2023 answer text <p>Developing a deployable cattle vaccine is one of the Government’s top priorities.</p><p>Defra aims to have a deployable cattle TB vaccine (CattleBCG) in the next few years. In 2021, world-leading cattle TB vaccination field trials began as a result of a</p><p>major breakthrough by government scientists on the development of a new DIVA</p><p>skin test to Detect Infected among Vaccinated Animals.</p><p> </p><p>The UK is closer to being able to vaccinate cattle across England and Wales than we have ever been before but there is still a lot of work to do. Deployment relies on the success of the field trials, achieving Marketing Authorisations from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (for both CattleBCG and the new DIVA skin test), gaining international recognition for both products, an IT system to record and trace vaccinates and acceptance of vaccination from across the range of stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>Close partnership working with industry is also an essential component of the TB vaccine programme. A Government-industry working group has been established to co-design initial deployment policy proposals. These proposals will then be further developed with wider stakeholders before going to public consultation.</p><p> </p><p>Vaccinating cattle against TB will be a valuable addition to the measures available to achieve bovine TB eradication but will not replace existing control measures. Maintaining biosecurity measures on farm, avoiding risky movements of cattle, and complying with TB testing protocols remain as important as ever in the fight against bovine TB.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/06/2023 14:23:41 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin

1588129

registered interest
date	22/02/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the badger vaccination programme; and whether her Department plans to continue the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme beyond February 2023.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	150507
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2023 answer text <p>Defra monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of the bTB eradication strategy in England through a range of methods, including the publication of national and regional bTB statistics, compilation of epidemiology reports, the use of mathematical models, economic cost-benefit and regulatory impact assessments of new policies, value-for-money analyses of existing policies and user surveys.</p><p> </p><p>Until recently, vaccination was only carried out in small disparate areas, making it difficult to monitor the effect of badger vaccination on cattle incidence. We are working on a herd-level analysis which will help assess the effectiveness of badger vaccination on herd incidence levels. However, we are confident that badger vaccination will reduce the incidence of TB in cattle as we accept that badgers cause a proportion of breakdowns and vaccination has been shown to reduce disease in badgers. Therefore, badger vaccination should reduce TB incidence in cattle.</p><p> </p><p>The Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme (BEVS2) provides funding towards the cost of vaccinating badgers in the Edge Area of England. We are currently exploring the potential to extend the grant for an additional year until February 2024, for partners that have demonstrated clear progress towards the continued vaccination of badgers. We will continue to work with partners on potential ways of deploying widespread cost-effective vaccination schemes across England.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 03/03/2023 14:44:02 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1520882

registered interest
date	11/10/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect vaccinations and Differentiate Infected from Vaccinated Animals tests to act as the primary control measure for bovine tuberculosis; and what assessment they have made of the costs of implementing such controls.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
uin	HL2485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2022 answer text <p>When combined with other disease control measures, we anticipate that a cattle vaccine, used in conjunction with a DIVA test to detect infected among vaccinated animals, has the potential to be a valuable additional tool in efforts to eradicate bovine tuberculosis. Vaccination is likely to enhance, not replace, existing control measures such as TB testing and movement controls.</p><p> </p><p>HM Government is currently funding field trials in the United Kingdom aimed at gathering information to support applications for national marketing authorisations for the CattleBCG vaccine and DIVA skin test. Provided the field trials go as hoped and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate considers the applications satisfactory, we are aiming for marketing authorisations to be granted in 2025.</p><p> </p><p>The cost of implementing cattle vaccination and DIVA testing will be dependent on the model of deployment adopted. Options for deployment are being considered and will likely be subject to consultation in the future.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 09/11/2022 11:50:19 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1382980

registered interest
date	29/11/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of widespread vaccination of the UK’s badger population for the purpose of reducing the spread of bovine tuberculosis; what evidence his Department has that vaccination will be effective in protecting livestock on farms in England; and whether his Department will make provisions to retain culling in areas where vaccination does not prove effective.
tabling member constituency	Torridge and West Devon
tabling member printed	Sir Geoffrey Cox
uin	83273
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2021 answer text <p>Evidence indicates that vaccination reduces disease burden in the badger population, with field trials showing that vaccinated badgers were at least 54% (and up to 76%) less likely to test positive for TB. The same field trial found that when more than a third of the social group was vaccinated, infection risk to unvaccinated cubs reduced by 79% (Carter et al 2012 [1]).</p><p> </p><p>Both modelling in a post-cull environment in England (Smith GC &amp; Budgey R, 2021 [2]), and evidence from Ireland (Martin SW, et al. 2020 [3]), suggests that vaccination following culling should help maintain reductions in cattle TB incidence. In a trial of badger vaccination in Ireland, vaccination was found to be as effective as long-term continuous culling in lowering cattle TB incidence in four of the seven counties studied, which led to a policy change to gradually replace culling with vaccination.</p><p> </p><p>Logically, as badgers cause a proportion of cattle breakdowns and badger vaccination has been proven to reduce the disease burden in badgers, vaccination is expected to result in a reduction in cattle TB incidence where badgers are infecting cattle. However, there has been no trial in England to assess the magnitude or timing of these effects. Accordingly, we are developing a surveillance and monitoring system that will allow us to monitor levels of disease in wildlife and cattle. This will enable government and industry to be more agile in tackling the disease.</p><p> </p><p>Badger culling would remain an option where epidemiological assessment indicates that it is needed.</p><p> </p><p>[1] <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0049833" target="_blank">https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0049833</a></p><p>[2] <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248426" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248426</a>.</p><p>[3] <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105004" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105004</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 07/12/2021 12:25:35 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox