Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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41. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the effectiveness of the badger culling strategy incorporated into the national TB eradication programme in reducing the incidence of bovine TB; his further views on plans by his Department to initiate a badger vaccination programme as an alternative to culling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32196/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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There is very considerable scientific evidence of a link between badgers and cattle in the context of the spread of bovine TB.  Research conducted over the years by my Department and others has demonstrated that the eradication of bovine TB disease is not a practicable proposition until the issue of the reservoir of infection in badgers, which is seeding infection into the cattle population, is addressed. It is therefore necessary to eradicate TB in both species. In view of this, the comprehensive TB Eradication Programme as implemented by my Department has incorporated a badger removal and population control policy since 2004.  

The badger control policy is cost effective and has contributed very significantly to a substantial reduction in the incidence of TB both in cattle and in badgers in recent years: herd incidence in the bovine population has fallen by almost 40% from 5.9% in 2008 to 3.37% in 2015. In addition, the cost of the TB eradication programme has fallen from €57.2m to €30.7m in the same period. This improvement is attributable to a comprehensive range of measures, not least of which is the badger removal programme. It should be noted that the incidence of bovine TB in Northern Ireland, where badger culling is not practised, is approximately twice as high as in this jurisdiction.  

The ultimate objective of my Department is to incorporate badger vaccination into the Irish TB eradication programme and the current badger policy, including monitoring and research work, will make vaccination more effective in the future.  However, the vaccination strategy can only be deployed when data are available to ensure that this can be done in an effective and sustainable manner.  In view of this, various projects, involving vaccine development and oral-delivery techniques are under way (including a collaboration with the United Kingdom), with a view to developing a viable badger TB vaccination strategy.