The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) guidance about reducing the risk of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) suggests a range of measures. The badger (Meles meles) certainly does get mentioned. The guide suggests ‘taking practical measures to stop [badgers] from gaining access to feed stores, silage clamps, water and feeding troughs.’
But it’s not all about badgers. There’s also great emphasis on preventing the transmission of the causative agent of bTB, Mycobacterium bovis, between cattle (Bos primigenius). The DEFRA guide I’ve linked to here recommends isolating infected livestock. It also recommends tracing the movement of animals between farms. The regulations about animal identification, movement and tracing have become stricter within the last few years.
Here’s a list of notifiable diseases affecting livestock in Britain.
