Farming Minister David Heath has backed badger cull calls by saying the government must do everything it can to stop the spread of bovine TB which is an 'ongoing misery for our dairy farmers'.
Referring to new figures released that show over 38,000 cattle were slaughtered in Great Britain, the minister said it was a 'stark reminder' of the scale of the challenge faced by the 'dreadful disease.'
"Not every farm has suffered from bovine TB. But every cattle farmer in the South West who has managed to avoid it to date will tell you that they live in constant dread that one day they will get the terrible news their herd has tested positive for bovine TB.
"For farmers who have invested in their herd and spent time raising the animals, such news has a devastating effect. It means that some animals they've spent sometimes years rearing are slaughtered.
The minister said a cull was 'backed by science'.
"Evidence has shown that culling, when carried out properly, can play a significant role in helping to reduce the spread of bovine TB. And with the spread of TB expected to cost the economy £1billion over the next ten years if action is not taken, we can't afford to sit back and do nothing."
The new Defra figures come despite increased cattle controls, additional pre-movement testing and stricter on-farm biosecurity measures which were introduced in July last year.
More new tough on-farm rules were also introduced in January 2013 as part of the Government's TB eradication plan which aims to tackle all aspects of TB infection in the countryside.
Carl Padgett, past President of the British Veterinary Association said: "The figures remind us that urgent action is required to help us get on top of this disease."
"We need to ensure compliance amongst farmers with the tougher cattle control measures, a strong push from the Government on cattle and badger vaccination, and support for measures to tackle the disease in badgers through piloting a targeted, humane cull."
NFU President Peter Kendall said today's figures 'hammer home the fact that TB is out of control.'
"TB is one of the largest threats facing our beef and dairy farmers" he said.
"In 1998 we had 6,000 cattle with TB in the whole of Great Britain. From today we see that by the end of 2012 this figure has jumped to 38,010 - 28,284 in England alone."
"This means we have seen almost ten per cent more cattle culled in Great Britain, and a seven per cent increase in England, because of TB since 2011. And it is not just in endemic areas, TB is creeping into new areas like the North and East Midlands, Cheshire and the South East. This has to stop."
The Farmers' Union of Wales said 'huge damage' was being done to cattle herds as a result of a massive rise in the badger population.
"These researchers have quite rightly highlighted the damaging impact that an expanded deer population in some parts of the UK is having on woodlands, and the knock-on effect on other animals such as woodland birds" said FUW president Emyr Jones who was speaking after a recent council meeting.
Farming Minister Heath said strict measures were in place to reduce the spread. Increased TB testing of herds in high risk areas, controls on the movement of cattle and urging farmers to participate in biosecurity but Heath said 'this isn't enough on its own.'
"We're spending £15.5m on the development of vaccines against TB. At the moment it's illegal to vaccinate cattle against TB as you can't tell whether the cow has been vaccinated against the disease, or is infected with it. We're in talks with the European Commission to change this, but it's a long process and we have been told we won't be able to vaccinate cattle for another 10 years.
"We fund a badger vaccination project near Stroud that protected nearly 1,000 badgers last year against the disease. To vaccinate badgers you need to catch, trap and inject every badger every year.
"This means it's not a practical solution for dealing with the disease across the whole country in the short term. We're also funding research into oral badger vaccinations. If we had workable vaccines available now we would use them, but it's clear they cannot yet provide the solution we hope they one day will."
New government-backed research revealed that vaccinating badgers can reduce the level of TB within an infected colony by 54%.
The results, which are from a four year study by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), conflict the view that culling badgers is the only method to stop the disease.
"This report must be the final nail in the coffin of the plan to cull badgers" said Philip Mansbridge, CEO of wildlife charity Care for the Wild.
"Pro-cull supporters claim that the disease can only be stopped if the so-called reservoir of disease within wildlife is reduced – this study shows that vaccination can achieve this."
But farming groups claim that a vaccine to help control TB in the future 'remains many years away'.
Unions such as the NFU have admitted a vaccine should be part of a package of measures to help control the disease but said that measure alone would not be enough to combat it.
"We need a package of measures to tackle TB and yes, cattle vaccine must be one of them. But as Defra's chief vet Nigel Gibbens said cattle vaccine, and the tests and regulations needed to put it in place across Europe, ‘may take years’. In the meantime, the spread of TB is doubling every nine years" said NFU President Peter Kendall.
"We have worked extremely hard to support those farmers in Somerset and Gloucestershire helping to organise and finance the two badger cull pilot areas which form an essential part of the Government’s wider TB eradication plan."
"These pilots will help to demonstrate that the control methods are safe, effective and humane in delivering this element of the Government’s TB eradication policy. Partnership on this plan is vital if we are to get on top of this disease, the spread of which is doubling every nine years."
