Northern Ireland’s main political parities have supported a motion in Stormont to urgently bring forward a comprehensive and holistic strategy to reduce bTB.
The motion, brought forward by Declan McAleer MLA with an agreed amendment to include wildlife intervention as part of the future TB strategy, does not specifically reference the management of infected badgers.
Mr McAleer, as well as Timothy Gaston MLA, both stated in Northern Ireland's Assembly that to be successful in reducing TB in cattle, tackling wildlife reservoirs cannot be excluded.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said while it was 'encouraging' to see the development, the government 'must address TB in the badger population'.
Cattle are subjected to a rigorous testing regime to try and control TB, but farm leaders warn that this has failed due to the disease still spreading among wildlife.
In 2023, TB was confirmed in 0.98% of all cattle tested in Northern Ireland, whilst 21.3% of 91 roadside badgers tested positive.
UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said these figures 'speaks volumes', as badgers 'are one of the main carriers of TB in NI'.
He said: "Scientific evidence has shown that targeted culling is recommended at disease incidence levels similar to NI, to ensure the success of additional combined wildlife intervention measures.
"It is not enough to simply have biosecurity measures, the rate of current infection proves that. Badger control and biosecurity must go hand in hand and only when the two are aligned will we see cases dropping.
“We continue to make the point that this is not about demonising badgers - we want and need a healthy environment for all animals to thrive in.
"For decades the TB strategy has failed to protect cattle putting their welfare at risk," he warned.
The Northern Irish government is set to release the new strategy this week.
