TB is a major problem in cattle. TB can be safely and successfully vaccinated against by using a similar BCG vaccine to that used on humans. We don’t vaccinate because exported cattle must be shown to be free of TB and if you vaccinate, a blood test cannot tell if the cattle have the disease or just the antigens from the vaccine. However over 80% of our cattle are not exported so any herd that is not providing cattle for export could be vaccinated and this would be recorded in their passport as NOT ELIGIBLE FOR EXPORT.

Farmers keeping cattle destined for export would not vaccinate those animals so that the current tests for TB could still be used. With over 80% of UK cattle vaccinated TB would not spread in the way it currently does.

Spread of the disease has rightly or wrongly been blamed on Badgers, culling has been tried but not been successful and vaccination of badgers is costing £800 per badger. This cost could pay for a whole herd of cattle to be vaccinated.