We are committed to achieving official freedom from Bovine TB for England by 2038 and intensive badger culling in areas where badgers are an important factor in spreading disease to cattle has been an important part of this. The badger cull has led to a significant reduction of bTB in cattle herds, with research showing a 66% and 37% reduction of new herd breakdowns in the first two cull areas.<\/p>
<\/p>
Defra has published analysis by APHA on where in Edge Area counties, such as Hampshire, there is considered to be a local reservoir of infection. This analysis includes data from previous badger found dead surveys alongside information on cattle breakdowns and other sources: Bovine TB: local reservoirs of Mycobacterium bovis infection in the Edge Area of England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p> Badger culls are licensed by the licensing authority Natural England (NE) who take local reservoirs into account. NE licensed the final intensive cull areas last year, and Government is gradually building government-supported badger vaccination and surveillance. Badger culling would remain an option where epidemiological assessment indicates that it is needed.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1547", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Benyon"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Benyon"}
, "attachment" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1581674/answer/attachment/1", "fileName" : {"_value" : "tb-local-reservoirs-mycobacterium-bovis-edge-area.pdf"}
, "title" : "Bovine TB: local reservoirs..."}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-02-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-02-13T16:02:01.313Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-01-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the Animal and Plant Health Agency Year End Descriptive Epidemiology Report: Bovine TV in the Edge Area of England 2021, County: Hampshire, published on 7 October 2022 and updated on 28 November 2022, and (2) the implications for their policy on the timing of the badger cull in Hampshire; and what steps they will take to end the badger cull in that county as a result of the findings in that report that \"badgers only accounted for 11 per cent of weighted risk pathways\".", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4297", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb"}
], "uin" : "HL5215"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1551156", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1551156/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Defra is driving forward an ambitious strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England which includes a range of evidence-led interventions to tackle the disease in both cattle and wildlife.<\/p> Our comprehensive strategy includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, introducing new help for herd owners to improve biosecurity measures on farms and to help manage down the risk of bringing the disease into their herds and supporting the deployment of badger vaccination.<\/p> Developing new and better tools is an important part of our programme of work. We continue to fund major research, including on cattle vaccination and improved diagnostics. That funding has already resulted in a major breakthrough by APHA in developing a test that can differentiate TB-infected among vaccinated cattle (a DIVA test). World-leading BCG vaccination trials in cattle began in England and Wales in June 2021. Our aim is to have a deployable TB vaccine for cattle within the next 5 years.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4055", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sherwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mark Spencer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-01-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-01-18T11:57:24.423Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-12-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to help eradicate bovine tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4107", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "West Worcestershire"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Harriett Baldwin"}
], "uin" : "109547"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1550648", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1550648/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " We are committed to achieving official freedom from Bovine TB for England by 2038 and intensive badger culling in areas where badgers are an important factor in spreading disease to cattle has been an important part of this<\/p> The descriptive epidemiology report for each county in the Edge Area is published annually, and available on GOV.UK.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4055", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sherwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mark Spencer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-01-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-01-18T11:46:40.847Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-12-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policy on the timing of the badger cull in Hampshire of the report by the Animal and Plant Health Agency entitled Year End Descriptive Epidemiology Report: Bovine TB in the Edge Area of England 2021 County: Hampshire; and if she will take steps to end the badger cull in Hampshire before 2024.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4498", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Ranil Jayawardena"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North East Hampshire"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Ranil Jayawardena"}
], "uin" : "108283"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1550716", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1550716/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The UK Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Christine Middlemiss, and Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Gideon Henderson, have made clear their views on the paper referenced in their letter to the Veterinary Record of 18 March and in the correction published on 21 May, which had no impact on their original conclusions.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4055", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sherwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mark Spencer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-01-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-01-25T13:47:37.02Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-12-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the paper published in The Veterinary Record in March 2022 entitled analysis of the impact of badger culling on bovine tuberculosis in cattle in the high-risk area of England, 2009\u20132020,\u202fwhat assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of that paper's findings; and if she will make it her policy to prevent industry-led badger culling.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4788", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Fleur Anderson"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Putney"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Fleur Anderson"}
], "uin" : "108427"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1520880", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1520880/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Defra\u2019s net expenditure on bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication in England since 2012 is set out in the table below.<\/p> <\/p> For the financial year 2016/17, the lower figure shown is mainly due to a difference in the handling of salvage income rather than any cut in TB control expenditure in real terms.<\/p> <\/p> For the financial years after 2016/17 the figures do not include the substantial, but separately costed, expenditure made by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and its predecessor bodies, which are accounted for separately by the relevant executive Agencies. That includes expenditure on contracted out TB testing as well as the work of the Agency\u2019s various veterinary, scientific, and administrative teams and associated operating and overhead costs. We estimate that the total costs to the taxpayer for bovine TB-related work in England have remained at around £100 million a year for each of the last 10 financial years.<\/p> <\/p> Defra\u2019s bTB eradication strategy is working. A sustained downward trajectory in disease<\/a> is being seen in areas of England at highest risk of bTB (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/incidence-of-tuberculosis-tb-in-cattle-in-great-britain).<\/p> <\/p>
We licenced the intensive cull areas this year, and plan to gradually build government-supported badger vaccination and surveillance. Badger culling would remain an option where epidemiological assessment indicates that it is needed.<\/p>