Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a challenging disease to control and eradicate due to several factors. Ireland's bovine TB Eradication Programme operates in line with best national and international scientific research and advice. A large body of peer-reviewed research has been conducted into the spread of TB in Ireland and the risks underlying its transmission. This research has found that the principal causes of TB introduction and spread include:

• Movement of cattle with undetected infection.
• Residual infection in cattle previously exposed to TB.
• Spread across farm boundaries.
• Indirect spread through other biosecurity breaches, and/or
• Spread from infected badgers to cattle.

The relative contribution of each of these factors will vary from farm to farm. The measures needed to reduce the levels of bovine TB include reducing the risk of introducing infection to your herd from purchased or moved in cattle, reduce the risk of contact between wildlife and cattle through fencing off badger setts and removing high risk animals such as those that have tested inconclusive previously or have been present at a breakdown previously over time.

Ireland’s current TB Eradication Programme necessarily incorporates a wildlife strategy which includes the removal of badgers from areas where there has been a TB outbreak. Such a requirement arises as tuberculosis is present both in cattle and in badgers and both species share the same environment, and the same strains of TB. The current policy was introduced in response to research conducted over many years by the Department.

Research carried out in Ireland demonstrates that TB levels in badgers are highest in areas where TB levels in cattle are highest and that the targeted removal of badgers in such areas contributes to a reduction in the incidence of TB. For this reason, capturing of badgers only takes place in areas where serious outbreaks of TB have been identified in cattle herds and where the Department’s Veterinary Inspectorate has found following an epidemiological examination that badgers are the likely source of infection.

Badgers are protected by national legislation and are listed within the Berne Convention. The legislation stipulates that local populations cannot be exterminated and that badger habitats (setts) cannot be destroyed. Badgers are captured under licence, issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage.

The Department’s wildlife programme comprises a combination of vaccination and culling, depending on the circumstances and in 2024 in excess of 6,000 badgers were captured for vaccination purposes.