Culling badgers ‘not a sustainable’ solution to bTB – DAFM

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has “acknowledged” that culling badgers in order to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is “not a sustainable long term solution”.

That is according to the Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, who has also stated that there is “irrefutable evidence that links badgers to the spread of bTB through badger to cattle transmission”.

The minister, in response to a Dáil parliamentary question raised by Social Democrats leader, Holly Cairns, said many other jurisdictions cull badgers in order to control the spread of bTB from badgers to cattle but vaccination is another option.

“DAFM funded extensive research into the use of the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine to protect badgers against bovine TB. Following positive results DAFM rolled out a badger vaccination programme in 2019.

“The studies showed that vaccination of badgers is most effective in areas with lower rates of TB prevalence among both badgers and cattle,” the minister said.

Badger culling

However, Minister McConalogue also told Deputy Cairns that this means that some high TB incidence areas remain “unsuitable for vaccine”. 

“Badger culling will continue in these areas in 2024 as the need arise,” he confirmed.

Deputy Cairns had also questioned the minister on what methods are used to kill badgers snared by DAFM personnel and what happens to the remains of the animals.

In response Minister McConalogue said that his department does not use snares for the capture of badgers.

“All badgers captured are caught using a stopped body restraint. Badgers that are dispatched, are done so in a humane manner, either by the use of a licensed firearm or by the administration of IV barbiturates by a veterinary inspector.

“All badger carcasses are sent to either the Irish Equine Centre or one of the regional veterinary laboratories for post mortem examination,” he added.

According to Minister McConalogue so far this year there have been a total 3,758 badgers culled in 2023.

Latest figures compiled by DAFM show that the highest numbers of badgers have been culled in Co. Westmeath (364) so far this year, with high numbers of the animals also culled in Co. Clare (335) and Co. Galway (280).