Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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396. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the ‘stopped body restraints’ used by his Department to catch badgers are a trap or a snare under the Wildlife Act 1976 (Approved Traps, Snares and Nets) Regulations 2003, which approves them. [39681/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Bovine tuberculosis (TB), caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis, is a persistent problem in cattle herds in Ireland, resulting in hardship for affected farmers and substantial ongoing national exchequer expenditure.

The epidemiology of TB is complex and challenging. There are three main sources of infection for cattle, the purchase of infected cattle, the presence of residual (undetected) infection within cattle herds. and wildlife (badgers predominately),The relative importance of these factors varies from herd to herd and all three need to be addressed to eradicate TB, and the national TB eradication programme.

Based on a large body of evidence over a number of years the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine established a wildlife programme to reduce the density of badgers in areas of high TB prevalence. However, it is acknowledged that culling on its own is not sustainable as a long-term measure, and a vaccination programme has also been integrated into the DAFM Wildlife Programme. Badger vaccination is now an integral part of the Irish TB Eradication Programme. This follows over 15 years of research work using BCG vaccine to prevent tuberculosis infection in badgers, and scientific trials carried out between 2013 and 2017 that show that vaccination is no less effective than culling.

The Wildlife Act 1976 (Approved Traps, Snares and Nets) Regulations 2003 provides for the methods by which wildlife may be captured subject to a licence in accordance to the provisions of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended. Badgers are captured using 'stopped body restraints' as defined under regulation 3(d) of the above Regulations.