Badger culls can lead to a reduction in cases of bovine tuberculosis in cattle – a study by Downs et all has found.

The study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, investigated the effect of culling in the first three licensed badger cull areas – Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset over a four-year period from 2013 to 2017.

Gloucestershire and Somerset saw reductions in bTB incidence rates in cull areas relative to comparison areas of 66% and 37%, respectively, after four years. In Dorset, there was no change in incidence rates in cull areas relative to comparison areas after two years, but incidence dropped by 55% in the same period in the 2km buffer zone around the edge of the cull area.

BVA junior vice-president, James Russell, commented: “These findings are encouraging and offer further evidence that badger culling can result in significant reductions in the number of new cases of TB in cattle.

"However, they come with the caveat that the data only relates to the first three cull areas, and the variability within these alone makes it too early to draw firm conclusions that culling will reduce incidence significantly in all 40 areas where it is now taking place.

“BVA’s expert working group is currently considering all aspects of disease control looking at cattle testing, removal of reactors, compensation and control in other farmed animals as well as the culling and vaccination of badgers. The group will consider this additional evidence as we develop our new policy on bTB," he concluded.