Scientists are calling for a more targeted and evidence-led approach to badger vaccination in Wales, warning that significant gaps in knowledge are limiting its role in the fight against bovine tuberculosis (bTB).



A new policy brief from researchers at Aberystwyth University, Cardiff University and the British Ecological Society's Welsh Policy Group argues that stronger monitoring, evaluation and stakeholder engagement are needed to maximise the impact of badger vaccination programmes.

Badger vaccination is part of Wales's wider bTB eradication programme. Research has shown that it can reduce infection risk, disease severity and infectiousness.

Modelling studies also suggest that, when delivered with sufficient coverage and combined with robust cattle controls, badger vaccination could help reduce disease transmission over time.

However, the authors say major questions remain about how many badgers are being vaccinated, what impact vaccinating badgers is having on disease levels in cattle, and how confidence in vaccination can be improved among farmers and veterinary professionals.

Dr Niall McKeown, Lecturer in the Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University and Vice Chair of the British Ecological Society's Welsh Policy Group, said:

“Bovine tuberculosis remains one of the biggest animal health challenges facing Wales, with serious consequences for farmers, livestock and rural communities.

“Badger vaccination should not be presented as a stand-alone route to eradicating bovine tuberculosis. There is strong evidence that BCG vaccination protects badgers, but evidence that operational vaccination programmes reduce disease in cattle remains limited. Any cattle-level benefit is likely to depend on sustained and sufficiently extensive vaccination coverage alongside effective cattle controls.

“What Wales needs now is not simply more vaccination, but vaccination that is better targeted, measured and evaluated. By combining non-invasive genetic monitoring with sett surveys, camera traps and movement data, we can estimate local badger abundance, verify how much of the population is being reached and identify important gaps in coverage.

“Those coverage data should then be linked to multi-year measures of cattle outcomes, including herd incidence, breakdown duration and recurrence. Together with genuine co-design involving farmers and veterinarians, this would allow Wales to distinguish inadequate delivery from a genuinely limited intervention effect and demonstrate, rather than assume, the contribution that badger vaccination can make to the wider bTB eradication programme.”

The policy brief identifies three priorities for action.

The first of these is improving understanding of badger populations and vaccination coverage by combining techniques such as sett surveys, camera trapping, GPS tracking and genetic analysis.

The second is measuring the impact on cattle disease outcomes through long-term studies comparing areas with high vaccination coverage against similar unvaccinated areas.

The third is strengthening engagement with farmers and veterinary professionals through clear communication, locally relevant evidence and greater opportunities to contribute to programme delivery.

The authors argue that a stronger evidence base would help policymakers identify where vaccination is delivering benefits, where coverage may be insufficient and how disease-control measures should be adapted over time.

They also stress that badger vaccination is not a standalone solution and should continue to form part of a wider package of measures that includes cattle testing, movement controls, disease surveillance and improved farm biosecurity.

The policy brief was produced by the British Ecological Society's Welsh Policy Group to inform ongoing discussions about the future of bovine tuberculosis control in Wales.