Farmer-led badger vaccination revolutionising mission to tackle bovine TB

Farmer-led badger vaccination could play a vital role in plans to eradicate bovine tuberculosis, highlights a first-of-its-kind project initiated by Cornish farmers and implemented by ZSL, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and Imperial College.
In People and Nature reports how over the course of the four-year pilot vaccination programme - co-managed between farmers, scientists, and conservationists - the percentage of badgers testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in the study area dropped from 16% to 0%, while the farmers involved reported increased enthusiasm for badger vaccination as a bTB control tool.
With larger-scale assessments needed to measure how badger vaccination impacts disease rates in cattle, the team behind the study are calling on the government to support further evaluations of community-led badger vaccination.