§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much his Department has spent on developing vaccines to prevent bovine tuberculosis since 1985; and how much investment is planned for each of the next five years. [36433]
§ Mr. RookerWork on the development of a vaccine to prevent bovine tuberculosis in badgers began in 1994. £1.5 million has been spent on this work to date. Research relating to the control of bovine tuberculosis is under review, following the publication of the Krebs Report.
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many badgers were trapped under his Department' s tuberculosis control scheme in each year since 1985 by(a) snares and (b) cage traps; and if he will indicate the number of animals which suffered injuries in (a) and (b). [36432]
§ Mr. RookerThe table indicates the number of badgers snared and trapped in Great Britain under the bovine tuberculosis scheme each year since 1985. There was a change of policy in 1986, following the recommendations of the Dunnet report. Snaring was not used in the years asterisked, and has not been used since February 1997.
503W
Year (a) badgers snared (b) badgers trapped 1985 24 1,095 1986 12 770 1987 *0 711 1988 3 775 1989 1 726 1990 5 806 1991 *0 993 1992 *0 1,054 1993 *0 1,094
Year (a) badgers snared (b) badgers trapped 1994 *0 1,683 1995 *0 1,509 1996 1 1,910 1997 1 2,445 One badger has died in a Ministry-set trap. Information on injuries sustained by trapped badgers is not regularly recorded. However, studies conducted by the Ministry's Wildlife Unit in 1990 and 1992 showed that about one quarter of badgers caught in Ministry-set traps had abrasions or other minor injuries.