§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research has been carried out to establish whether tuberculosis infection can be spread from badgers to cattle; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanIt has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions that badgers infected with bovine tuberculosis can transmit the disease to cattle. Additionally, since the removal of all badgers from a study area in Avon during 1981, there have been no instances of tuberculosis infection in cattle in the area.