Bovine TB: controlling the risk from badgers
Information on what the government is doing to control the risk of bovine tuberculosis (TB) from badgers.
This collection brings together the latest information on what Defra is doing to control the risk of bovine TB from badgers, as part of our wider measures to control bovine TB.
Visit the UK Government Web Archive for previous versions of this collection, which include older bovine TB content on GOV.UK.
Badger control methods and licences
You must get trained and have a licence to remove or take, vaccinate and mark badgers to prevent the spread of bovine TB.
Authorisations
Authorisations issued by Natural England to permit local farmers and landowners to remove badgers to prevent the spread of bovine TB.
Consultations
Monitoring and evaluation
Reports on badger control compliance monitoring, policy impact assessments and value for money analysis.
Surveillance
Reports on TB surveillance of badgers and other wildlife across all areas of England.
Chief Veterinary Officer's advice
Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice on licensed badger control operations.
Defra advice to Natural England
Defra advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum number of badgers to be controlled.
Government policy
Government measures to control bovine TB.
Costs of badger control
Updates to this page
Last updated 16 October 2024 + show all updates
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Added 'Bovine TB: authorisation for badger control in 2024' and 'Bovine TB: authorisation for supplementary badger control in 2024' to the 'Authorisations' section. Added 'Bovine TB in cattle: badger control areas monitoring data up to 2023' to the 'Monitoring and evaluation' section. Added 'Advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled in 2024' to the 'Defra advice to Natural England' section.
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Added 'Bovine TB: comment on an application for a low risk area badger disease control licence, August 2024' to the 'Consultations' section.
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Added a link to the 'Summary of badger control monitoring during 2023' and 'Summary of supplementary badger control monitoring during 2023' publications.
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Removed out-of-date content and reordered the groups.
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Added the 'Advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled in 2023' and the 'Bovine TB in cattle: background information for badger control areas monitoring data up to 2022'.
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Added Bovine TB: authorisation for badger control in 2023 to the licences and authorisations section.
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Added 'Bovine TB: authorisation for supplementary badger control in 2023' to the licences and authorisations section.
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Amended 3 areas: 1. Added 'Bovine TB: summary of supplementary badger control monitoring during 2022' and 'Bovine TB: summary of badger control monitoring during 2022' to the Monitoring and evaluation section. 2. Added 'Bovine TB: Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice on early termination of 2021 badger disease control areas' to the Chief Veterinary Officer's advice section. 3. Added 'Bovine TB: surveillance in wildlife in England' to a new 'Surveillance' section.
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Added 'Advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled in 2022'.
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Added 'Licences to cage-trap and mark badgers for bovine TB vaccination' to 'Licences and authorisations' and 'Badger vaccination' sections.
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Added 'Bovine TB: authorisation for supplementary badger control in 2022' to the licences and authorisations section.
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Added 'Bovine TB: summary of supplementary badger control monitoring during 2021' and 'Bovine TB: summary of badger control monitoring during 2021' to the Monitoring and evaluation section. Added a licence application consultation (March 2022) to the Consultations section.
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Added 2 licence application consultations for February 2022.
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Added 'Advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled in 2021'.
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Added best practice guidance on cage-trapping and marking badgers to enable vaccination to prevent the spread of bovine TB.
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Added 'Bovine TB: summary of supplementary badger control monitoring during 2020' to the monitoring and evaluation section. Added 'Bovine TB: authorisation for supplementary badger control in 2021' to the licences and authorisations section.
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Added Bovine TB: summary of badger control monitoring during 2020 to the Monitoring and evaluation section.
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Added Bovine TB: authorisation for badger control in 2020 to the licences and authorisations section.
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Added the Bovine TB: summary of badger control monitoring during 2019
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Added a link to licence to take and mark badgers for vaccination to prevent the spread of bovine TB in cattle to the collection section 1 and in the badger vaccination guide.
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Notification of Natural England review of how it licences badger vaccination.
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Added Bovine TB: authorisation for badger control in 2019 to the licences and authorisations section.
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Added the Defra advice to NE on numbers for badger culling for 2019.
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Added the section on Badger vaccination and added some Natural England consultations to the list.
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Authorisation letters for supplementary badger control in Gloucestershire and Somerset in 2019 added.
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New document added
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Added the 2018 advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled and authorisations for badger control in 2018.
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Authorisation letters for supplementary badger control in Gloucestershire and Somerset in 2018 added. Also added the summary of supplementary badger control 2017 and the Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice on the outcome.
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Added the publications for surveillance in wildlife in England 2016 to 2017, introducing licensed badger controls in the Low Risk Area (England), revising guidance for licensing badger control areas and a strategy for achieving Bovine Tuberculosis Free Status for England: 2018 review.
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Added the summary of badger control monitoring during 2017 and the Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice on the outcome of the 2017 badger culls.
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Added the advice to Natural England on setting minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be controlled in 2017 and incidence of TB in cattle in licensed badger control areas in 2013 to 2016 report.
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Added link to authorisation for supplementary badger control in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
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Added a summary of badger control monitoring during 2016, Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice on the outcome of the 2016 badger culls and a consultation on supplementary badger disease control.
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First published.