§ Mr. SymsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects his Department's study into the links between TB in cattle and badgers to be published. [80288]
§ Mr. RookerUnder the TB strategy I announced on 17 August last year, the links between TB in cattle and badgers will be examined through research and the randomised badger culling trial. The trial is planned to run for five or more years. The research projects, whose details I announced on 10 March 1999,Official Report, columns 301–02, will take between two and five years to complete, and some may provide the basis for further projects. Subject to the need to ensure that premature publication does not jeopardise future work, I envisage that the results will be published as they become available.