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Bovine TB: Badger vaccinations 'no magic bullet' Bovine TB: Badger vaccinations 'no magic bullet'
(about 1 hour later)
Vaccinating badgers to prevent the spread of tuberculosis in cattle would be expensive and offer no "magic bullet", MPs have said.Vaccinating badgers to prevent the spread of tuberculosis in cattle would be expensive and offer no "magic bullet", MPs have said.
Governments had invested more than £43m in developing vaccines since 1994 but these could not provide a "complete solution", the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee added. Governments had invested more than £43m in developing vaccines since 1994 but these could not provide a "complete solution", the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said.
Ministers have given the go-ahead for badger culls in south-west England.Ministers have given the go-ahead for badger culls in south-west England.
The animals are known to spread TB, with thousands of cattle slaughtered. The animals are known to spread TB. Infected cattle have to be slaughtered.
The government says the disease has already cost farmers and the wider economy more than £500m and that this will rise to £1bn if the badger cull does not take place.The government says the disease has already cost farmers and the wider economy more than £500m and that this will rise to £1bn if the badger cull does not take place.
MPs are currently debating the issue in the House of Commons. MPs are currently debating the issue in the House of Commons. Labour has called for an alternative to badger culls but the government is proceeding with six-week pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
The opposition has called for an alternative to badger culls but the government is proceeding with six week pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset. Under its plans, badgers will be shot in the open without first being trapped in cages, which is current practice.
'Progress' 'Non-starter'
Animal rights activists say they will take direct action to stop more than 5,000 animals being shot.Animal rights activists say they will take direct action to stop more than 5,000 animals being shot.
They argue that vaccinating badgers would be more humane and a more effective way to stop bovine TB spreading.They argue that vaccinating badgers would be more humane and a more effective way to stop bovine TB spreading.
But the committee's chairman, Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, said: "While progress to develop vaccines is clearly being made, debate on this subject has been characterised by lack of clarity leading to poor public understanding. The government must share a great deal of the blame for this." In a report published on Wednesday, the cross-party Commons committee said the government should use "every tool" to combat the disease, but vaccination alone would not provide a solution.
She added: "The government is right to invest millions of pounds in developing vaccines against bovine TB. We should use every tool to combat this disease, but vaccination alone will not, at least in the short term, provide a complete solution. The committee's chairman, Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, said vaccines "have no impact on already infected animals" and "would be expensive to deploy"
"Vaccines have no impact on already infected animals, offer a range of protection to those that aren't infected, and will be expensive to deploy." The committee said the current government would have spent £14m on vaccine research alone between 2010 and 2014 and that injecting badgers with vaccines would cost between £2,000 and £4,000 per square kilometre.
The committee found that injecting badgers with vaccines would cost between £2,000 and £4,000 per square kilometre.
Oral vaccineOral vaccine
Successive governments had invested more than £43m on vaccine research and development since 1994, the MPs said, adding that by the end of the current spending review period the coalition would have spent a further £15m. It said an "oral, baited vaccine" for badgers would be "cheaper and potentially more practical" than trying to inject the animals but such a vaccine was some way off.
The committee said an "oral, baited vaccine" for badgers would be "cheaper and potentially more practical" than trying to inject the animals. Speaking in Wednesday's debate, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Conservative MP for The Cotswolds, said badgers could became "vicious" when caged and seeking to vaccinate a large number of animals in TB hotspots was "simply a non-starter".
It argued: "Progress towards an oral vaccine for badgers is evident but one will not be available in the near future. And his Conservative colleague Neil Parish, who represents Tiverton and Honiton, said farmers in his Devon constituency were "at their wits' end" over the issue and the government had a duty to act.
"Further scientific information is required before a candidate vaccine might be taken forward to be licensed." But Labour's Chris Williamson, MP for Derby North, said there was no scientific evidence to suggest a cull would have the desired effects. In contrast, it would result in animals "dying in agony" and "enraging" public opinion.
Lib Dem MP Andrew George said ministers had signalled a willingness to back a vaccination trial in west Cornwall, which could cost about £2m. "It is absolutely bonkers. It is criminal and it should stop," he told MPs.
The St Ives MP said this would be cheaper than having to police demonstrations against badger culls. Animal organisations might match funding provided by the government, he added. Lib Dem MP Andrew George has suggested ministers are willing to back a vaccination trial in west Cornwall, which could cost about £2m.
Under the government's plans, badgers will be shot in the open without first being trapped in cages, which is current practice. The RSPCA, which opposes the cull, has said it wants to help fund vaccination development. The St Ives MP said this would be cheaper than having to police demonstrations against badger culls and that animal welfare organisations could contribute to the cost of the experiment.
It and other animal welfare groups have said a cull will have little or no impact on reducing bovine TB in cattle. The RSPCA, which has co-ordinated opposition to the cull, has indicated it would be prepared to do so.
"We care equally about badgers and cattle but this cull simply will not work," the campaign group said on Wednesday.