Badger cull to control TB in Wales

In an attempt to reduce the amount of cattle infected with TB and gain control over the spread of the disease, the Welsh Assembly has begun work on legislation to manage a badger cull.

It is expected that badgers may be spreading the highly infectious TB virus that led to the slaughter of over 12,000 cattle in Wales last year.

It is estimated that if action is not taken to eradicate the disease taxpayers may have to compensate farmers by over £80,000,000 by the year 2014.

Currently the Welsh Assembly Government is combating the problem by instituting a health check on all cattle herds in Wales, removing infected animals promptly, and vaccinating cattle before TB spreads to them.

Traditionally farmers would have to be licensed to participate in the badger cull given the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, but the Welsh Assembly Government hopes to bypass this problem by coordinating the cull itself.

The legislation draft is available to the public until July 17th when consultation is closed and the measure will either become legislation or be rejected.

Additionally, the Government is working alongside Defra to develop a badger vaccine to reduce the amount badgers harmed in the cull but no definite vaccine plans have yet been initiated.