Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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10. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason he is pursuing a badger cull when guarantees have been given about rolling out a vaccination programme for badgers infected with TB; the reason his Department is tendering for the provision of 25,000 units of biological material, which are essentially body bags for badgers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35173/14]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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My question relates to the reason a badger cull is being pursued and why the Department has tendered for 25,000 units of biological material, essentially body bags for badgers, when it has given a commitment to roll out a vaccination programme to control bovine TB.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for asking the question. I know it is an issue of concern to her and I wish to give her a detailed answer to it. The wildlife policy, which is a component of my Department’s TB eradication programme, has been developed in response to research which has demonstrated that the eradication of the disease is not a practicable proposition until the reservoir of infection in badgers is addressed. Capturing of badgers takes place in areas where serious outbreaks of TB have been identified in cattle herds and where Department veterinarians have found, following an epidemiological examination, that badgers are the likely source of infections. Approximately 6,000 badgers are culled annually by trained contractors under licence and the process is monitored and supervised by Department staff. In tandem with the badger removal programme, my Department continues to sponsor research and trials into developing a vaccination programme to control tuberculosis in badgers, thus improving the overall health status of that species, and to break the infection link to cattle. The research to date has demonstrated that oral vaccination of badgers in a captive environment with BCG vaccine generates high levels of protective immunity against bovine TB. Current research is aimed at confirming that such a protective effect holds true in the wild population.

My Department’s ultimate objective is to incorporate badger vaccination into the TB eradication programme when data are available to ensure that it can be incorporated in an optimally effective and sustainable manner. A number of field trials are ongoing with this objective in mind, but it is anticipated that it will be a number of years before a viable oral delivery method can be put in place and, therefore, targeted badger removals will continue in the medium term in the interests of ensuring that the progress achieved in recent years in combating TB in cattle is maintained.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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That is a most unfortunate answer because in the context of a badger cull we are talking about a most inhumane, cruel and barbaric way of dealing with bovine TB, when first, it has not been fully proven that the badger is totally responsible for the disease, and there are doubts over some of the experiments that initially proved that was the case. Second, a reduction in TB in cattle can also be linked to improved husbandry and other factors, not especially through the badger cull. Could the Minister explain the urgency to kill thousands of an ecologically important species, namely, the badger?

I refer to an IT glitch that occurred in the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in England which meant it overstated the number of cattle herds infected by TB in Britain to such an extent that the decline in TB was shown to have been in the year preceding the badger cull. A badger cull is a particularly cruel way to deal with the problem. Illegal ways are in use to kill badgers. Such horrible practices, include putting slurry in badger setts, and throwing badger carcases onto the road to give the impression they have been killed in road accidents. That is what is happening to a badger population that we do not know is 100% responsible for bovine TB.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I do not condone or in any way support the illegal killing of badgers in a way that is not licensed, controlled and monitored by my Department. I share Deputy O'Sullivan's views on the matter.

It is important to note that culling badgers is only a part of a TB programme that has been extraordinarily successful in Ireland. We have less TB in Ireland now than at any time since 1953 when records began. The UK cannot say the same. If anything, depending on the region, the jurisdiction has an increasing problem with TB in herds. The system we have in place at the moment is working. We are targeting areas where there are significant TB outbreaks where we have a reason to believe there is a link with wildlife infection by badgers. It is not an indiscriminate culling of badgers throughout the country. It is a targeted effort to try to catch and put down badgers we believe might have TB themselves and are spreading TB to cattle. Culling has been a part of a very effective TB programme that is reducing TB dramatically in Ireland and is saving the taxpayer a lot of money. As soon as we can introduce a vaccination programme to target TB in badgers that is credible and that can take the place of the targeted culling programme, we will do it. I will enthusiastically introduce such a programme if and when that is the case, but I will not do something to undermine the efforts we have put in place in recent decades.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Recent reports have shown that injecting badgers significantly reduces the progress and severity of TB. Unlike culling, vaccination does not disrupt the badger's social group and it provides immunity indirectly to unvaccinated badger cubs. An experiment was conducted where one third of the badger population was injected and immunity immediately spread to the rest of the badger population. A more recent experiment in England showed that more rigorous testing and vaccination of cattle is also a way forward. There should be an urgency in terms of the vaccination programme rather than just having a cull, because it has been in place for so long. We must look seriously and urgently at a vaccination programme.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I reassure the Deputy that only last week I asked my Secretary General to examine the issue and to try to fast-track a vaccination programme for badgers if it could be done credibly. However, I will not undermine the efforts we have made over many years-----

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Rentokil.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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-----until we are sure we can do it in a way that keeps the positive momentum in the existing TB eradication programme, which has been extraordinarily successful. Ultimately, we want to eradicate TB from Ireland in badger populations and in cattle populations.

There is not a problem with badger numbers in Ireland. The cull will not compromise badger numbers. We have a healthy badger population throughout the country currently. I accept that the preference is to vaccinate rather than kill badgers if we can do that effectively.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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How would one do that?

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Tell that to the badger.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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That is ridiculous.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ultimately-----

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Would the Minister like to catch a badger and try to inject it?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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If Deputy Healy-Rae was listening earlier, which I doubt he was-----

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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I was listening to the debate in my office.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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-----I explained the trials we are running at the moment, which are showing credible results in the area.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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That concludes Question Time.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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The Minister knows what to do with the badger and it is the same with the deer.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Healy-Rae should not make a joke of the matter.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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I am not.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Order, please.