A new project to understand the next steps towards the eradication of a devastating cattle disease is underway, led by farmers and supported by our scientists.

Led by farmers in Cornwall, we are working with the National Farmers Union (NFU) on the three-year project, which will explore the effectiveness and practicality of scaled-up, industry delivered, badger vaccination as part of a comprehensive bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication strategy.

Bovine tuberculosis is a cattle disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis. As part of the government’s commitment to eradicate the disease, any cattle that test positive for it must be slaughtered, and restrictions are placed on the remaining members of the herd – impacting farmers’ livelihoods.