Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 872: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if research was carried out on the movement of badgers in County Wicklow (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1494/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's overall national strategy for the eradication of TB provides for a comprehensive range of measures, including the mandatory annual testing for all cattle in the national herd, the restriction of holdings where reactors are disclosed, risk-based testing of herds contiguous to infected herds, the early removal of reactors and a wildlife programme involving the targeted removal of badgers where they are implicated in a TB outbreak. Where a TB herd breakdown occurs and there is evidence of badger activity, badger capturing and removal takes place in the area associated with the TB breakdowns and only under licence from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Where such badger capturing takes place, post-mortem examination and sampling is undertaken. These samples will be used in the ongoing studies to develop tests for TB and also for other research.

The long-term objective of my Department is to develop a vaccine for badgers and considerable research has already been conducted in collaboration with UCD on the development of such a vaccine. Research to date has demonstrated that oral vaccination of badgers in a captive environment with the BCG vaccine generates high levels of protective immunity against challenge with bovine TB. As part of ongoing research in this context, my Department is currently conducting a project, in collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to study the territorial behaviour and range of the badger species. To date, most of the data available in regard to territorial behaviour is based on data from the U.K. produced from a limited number of study sites and observational studies of this nocturnal species. Recent research in Ireland indicates that there are more and more differences between badgers in the U.K. and badgers in Ireland, in terms of population structure, group size, dietary preferences and breeding patterns. One of the groups of badgers being observed in the context of this research is in County Wicklow whereby the movement of badgers is recorded and observed using modern tracking techniques in the form of GPS tracking collars. Samples are collected from badgers in this badger tracking project, following which the badgers are immediately released. There is no validated test currently available to detect tuberculosis in live badgers. All such data collection and research will form part of the TB vaccine development project and vaccine delivery strategy being conducted by my Department. The study areas were selected on the basis of a good area history of bovine TB as it is necessary to study each group for at least a full year. I want to emphasise that normal badger survey and removal arrangements continue to be implemented in any areas, including the area concerned, where badgers are found to be implicated in a TB outbreak.