§ Lord Rotherwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the incidence of tuberculosis in the badger carcasses which have been collected and tested as part of the road traffic accident survey in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. [HL4931]
226WA
§ Lord WhittyFigures for the incidence of TB in badger carcasses collected and tested as part of the road traffic accident (RTA) survey are not yet available for release.
The RTA survey has been designed to establish whether the incidence of bovine TB in badgers collected from road verges, and other locations, is representative of the prevalence of the disease in the badger population in that area through comparison with equivalent data from the randomised badger culling trial. With the assistance of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB, the first step is to carry out analyses of the data and this work is underway. Results are expected to be available in 2005.
In addition to Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, the RTA survey is also being conducted in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset.