A major new report published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States' premier scientific journal, has revealed that cattle rapidly spread bovine TB to badgers[1].

 The hugely significant findings mean that by controlling bovine TB in cattle through better TB testing, the prevalence of TB will also be reduced in badgers. The research, from the Krebs Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT),also confirms that killing badgers increases bovine TB in badger populations, probably by disrupting badgers' otherwise stable social order and by increasing the amount of contact that badgers have with cattle. This finding means that badger culling has no place in any science-based strategy to control bovine TB.
Significantly, the research has been peer-reviewed by independent,international scientists, so it cannot be undermined by the minority of out-of-touch vets who profess to have a better scientific understanding of the complex dynamics of this disease. Commenting on th

e findings, Badger Trust spokesman Trevor Lawson said:
“This research confirms beyond doubt that cattle are the major vectors of bovine TB, readily infecting badgers and other cattle. The NFU and other farming lobby groups should now have the courage to call a halt to illegal badger killing and to immediately withdraw their unsupported demands for state-sponsored badger culls. Those callous vets who have demanded badger killing should hang their sorry heads in shame. They have undermined public confidence in the veterinary profession's commitment to animal welfare and severely damaged the profession's scientific integrity."
Confirmation that cattle rapidly spread TB to badgers was obtained as the result of another catastrophe created by farmers - foot and mouth disease (FMD). Prior to FMD and in the early stages of badger culling,the prevalence of bovine TB in culled badgers was around five per cent in the RBCT. But when TB testing of cattle stopped during FMD, the disease spread rapidly between cattle within herds. In 2002, the prevalence of TB in badgers shot up to more than 20 per cent and then declined as TB testing removed infected cattle. Careful analysis has ruled out the possibility that the changes occurred due to a suspension of badger culling during FMD.
The authors of the paper, from the Independent Scientific Group, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and the Central Science Laboratory,advise that:
"Badger culling apparently has the capacity to increase badger-to-badger transmission of infection, potentially undermining anticipated reductions in badger-to-cattle transmission. Likewise, cattle-to-badger transmission appears to be influenced by cattle testing regimes,which suggests that improved cattle controls might not only have immediate benefits through reduced cattle-to-cattle transmission, but could also ultimately reduce the probability of infection from wildlife... It may be helpful...to replace the traditional paradigm of a wildlife 'reservoir host' from which infection 'spills over' into livestock, with a more dynamic picture, including substantial transmission both within and between alternative host species."