Overview

• An official review led by Sir Charles Godfray finds only a small chance of meeting the 2038 target without a Covid-style step change in urgency and resources.
• Scientists back replacing badger culling with mass vaccination, urging faster rollout and solutions to practical hurdles such as trapping enough animals.
• The report calls for tougher cattle controls, including stronger biosecurity, wider use of more accurate tests, tighter movement tracking, and visible senior leadership.
• A cattle vaccine is under regulatory assessment after more than £40m of joint UK investment, with experts pressing for quicker licensing to speed deployment.
• The disease carries heavy costs and losses, with about 274,000 cattle slaughtered in the past decade and over 230,000 badgers culled since 2013, and a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force planned for next year.