Research and control bovine tuberculosis

The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention, has concluded that the UK's badger culling trial is in accordance with the Convention. Last year the Committee recommended that the trial, which is part of the Government's strategy to research and control bovine tuberculosis (TB), should be investigated to see whether a possible breach had occurred.

Speaking in London, Agriculture Minister Nick Brown said: "I welcome this outcome. The Standing Committee has today confirmed that the badger culling trial is compatible with the Bern Convention. We were confident this would prove to be the case. The trial is an important component of our long-term strategy to deal with the growing problem of bovine TB. Only by pursuing it can we hope to answer the crucial question of the role badgers play in transmitting the disease to cattle. We are happy to agree to the Committee's request to report annually on the Government's strategy for controlling TB, including the badger-culling trial. Bovine TB is a serious and complex disease, and the more we can share knowledge about it with our international partners the better."

During an extensive debate the Standing Committee considered issues such as the effect the trial would have on the national and local badger populations; the possible outcome of the trial; and the wide range of other measures the UK has put in place to research the causes of TB incidents in cattle herds. The Committee concluded that the file should be closed, but asked that the Government keep it updated on this issue on an annual basis. Environment Minister Michael Meacher welcomed the Standing Committee's decision: "The UK takes its responsibilities under the Convention very seriously, and we were pleased to have a chance to explain our position in detail. The badger trial has been designed with great care by independent experts, taking full account of animal welfare considerations, to limit its coverage to that which is absolutely necessary."

The Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats was agreed in 1979 in the framework of the Council of Europe. It currently has 40 contracting parties from across Europe and Africa. It operates through a Standing Committee which meets annually in Strasbourg. Non-governmental organisations have full speaking rights.

The badger culling trial is one element of the Government's five point TB research and control strategy: minimise the risk to humans, develop a TB vaccine, carry out research into the transmission of the disease continue, and where possible strengthen, existing cattle controls carry out a badger culling trial and related research The trial is designed to answer a number of questions about the dynamics of bovine TB in both cattle and badgers, and to deal with two key issues: the quantitative contribution of badgers to the incidence of TB in cattle, and whether, and in what circumstances, culling badgers works to help control the disease.

The trial and the Government's wider TB research programme are based on expert advice from two independent scientific committees chaired by Professor John Krebs and Professor John Bourne respectively. In December 1998 the Standing Committee of the Convention passed a recommendation calling on the UK to suspend the trial for a year, explore other satisfactory solutions for the control of bovine TB, and inform the Committee on the compatibility of the trial with the Convention. The Government submitted its detailed response on 8 July 1999.