Badgers (Hansard, 16 November 1998)

§ Mr. William Ross
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what sums he has expended in efforts to produce an effective vaccine against TB in badgers. [59033]

§ Mr. Rooker
Work on the development of a vaccine to prevent TB in badgers began in 1994. By the end of the financial year 1998–99, £1.96 million will have been spent. Following the recommendations in the Krebs Report, the focus of vaccine research has changed from badgers to cattle, but development work which is taking place at present is of value to both.

§ Mr. William Ross
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what differences exist between the study area and adjacent areas as regards the prevalence of tuberculosis in badgers. [59035]

§ Mr. Rooker
At the Central Science Laboratory's study area at Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire the annual prevalence of bovine tuberculosis excretion in badgers varied between 0.5 per cent. and 5.7 per cent. between 1981 and 1995. The badger population outside the study area has not been systematically investigated.

§ Mr. William Ross
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what conclusions he has reached as to(a) the amount of tuberculosis transmission between adult male badgers, transmission from mother to juveniles when suckling and aerosol infection between sow and young in setts and (b) the possibility of eradicating tuberculosis in badgers and keeping them clear of further infection. [59034]

§ Mr. Rooker
There are no quantitative data on the relative contributions made by each of the methods of transmission mentioned at(a). We currently have insufficient information to say whether eradication of TB in badgers may be possible. The Department's research programme and the survey and other information gained during the randomised trial are vital to improve our understanding of how to control the disease in the longer term.

§ Mr. William Ross
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimates he has made of(a) the number of badgers in England and Wales, (b) the highest and lowest densities per square kilometre and (c) the incidence of tuberculosis in those populations. [59036]

§ Mr. Rooker
With respect to part(a) of this question, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 11 November 1998, Official Report, column 252. The highest badger density data published is 25 adults per square kilometre at the 437W Woodchester Park study area in Gloucestershire. In marginal habitats, densities as low as two badgers per kilometre have been recorded by researchers. The incidence of TB in badgers has not been systematically investigated outside the Woodchester Park study area.