Bovine tuberculosis: call for views on possible future measures to accelerate disease eradication in England

Overview

The end date for this call for views has been extended to 21st April 2021.

In March 2020, the government published a response to Professor Sir Charles Godfray's review of England's Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Strategy ('the Godfray Review'), setting out three top priorities for the next phase of the bTB strategy:

1. accelerating work to develop a deployable cattle vaccine in the next five years.

2. evolving the wildlife control policy, by beginning to phase out intensive badger culling in the next few years. Culling would remain an option where epidemiological assessment indicates that it is needed. 

3. Improving diagnostic testing to root out bTB more effectively, with deployment of more sensitive tests for surveillance supported by greater use of on-farm restriction of cattle with inconclusive test results. 

This call for views sets out a number of possible future changes to bTB policy, to complement the specific proposals on which we are currently consulting in a parallel consultation exercise. Together these are intended to take the bTB strategy into its next phase.

Why we are consulting

A number of ideas are set out in this call for views document. We are seeking initial input on the pros, cons, practical deliverability, costs and benefits of these to assist with the development of further potential future proposals.