House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Vaccination against bovine TB Second Report of Session 2013–14 Volume II Additional written evidence Ordered by the House of Commons to be published 4 June 2013 Published on 5 June 2013 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its associated bodies. Current membership Miss Anne McIntosh (Conservative, Thirsk and Malton) (Chair) Thomas Docherty (Labour, Dunfermline and West Fife) Richard Drax, (Conservative, South Dorset) George Eustice (Conservative, Camborne and Redruth) Barry Gardiner (Labour, Brent North) Mrs Mary Glindon (Labour, North Tyneside) Iain McKenzie (Labour, Inverclyde) Sheryll Murray (Conservative, South East Cornwall) Neil Parish (Conservative, Tiverton and Honiton) Ms Margaret Ritchie (Social Democratic and Labour Party, South Down) Dan Rogerson (Liberal Democrat, North Cornwall) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk Publication The reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/efracom Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are David Weir (Clerk), Anna Dickson (Second Clerk), Sarah Coe (Committee Specialist—Environment), Phil Jones (Committee Specialist —Agriculture), Clare Genis (Senior Committee Assistant), Owen James (Committee Assistant), Yago Zayed (Committee Support Assistant), and Hannah Pearce (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 5774; the Committee’s e-mail address is: [email protected]. Media inquiries should be addressed to Hannah Pearce on 020 7219 8430. List of additional written evidence (published in Volume II on the Committee’s website www.parliament.uk/efracom) Badger Trust Ev w25 British Veterinary Zoological Society Ev w42 Brock Vaccination Ev w35 Dairy UK Ev w54 Family Farmers Association Ev w1 Martin Hancox Ev w8 Humane Society Ev w20 International Fund For Animal Welfare Ev w46 Ian Kett Ev w17 Carla Kidd Ev w53 Keith Meldrum Ev w19 National Farmers Union Ev w51 Network For Animals Ev w27 DG & GE Purser Ev w5 Rethink Bovine TB Ev w39 Philip Robinson Ev w2 Roslin Institute Ev w37 Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ev w2 Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Ev w22 Secret World Wildlife Rescue Ev w50 Society of Biology Ev w31 Team Badger Ev w48 Veterinary Association of Wildlife Management Ev w29 Wildlife Trusts Ev w44 cobber Pack: U PL: CWE1 [SO] Processed: [04-06-2013 18:40] Job: 029842 Unit: PG01 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev w1 Written evidence Written evidence submitted by the Family Farmers’ Association This association has long been extremely concerned about the effect that bTB has on family farmers—it has been literally devastating on some. We have repeatedly begged Defra to reinstate a policy of seeking out infected badger setts and gassing them, which we believe to be the only way to rid the country of this scourge. Many people are now advocating vaccination as a solution to bTB. In conversation I am frequently asked “why can’t we just vaccinate badgers (or cows)?” I trust that this investigation will prove that that is, in fact, not a useful road to go down. On the other hand, if it should discover that vaccination will in fact solve the bTB problem in a practical way, so much the better, but it seems to us unlikely. We do not have any scientific expertise to deploy on the subject. The reason I am writing is to beg you to find some scientists who are reliable! The whole long running debate and “study” on how to solve the problem has been characterised by constantly confusing and contradictory statements by people labelled scientists. The badger lobby has been loudly proclaiming as scientific facts a lot of things which farmers with practical knowledge of both the incidence of bTB, and the conduct of the RBC Trials, find very hard to believe. In fact we could go so far as to say a lot of statements were false, though it is hard to tell if this was due to ignorance or if it was deliberate. Jim Paice politely summed up some of the statements in the parliamentary debate as “misinformed”. Vaccination will not cure TB. What we need to know for sure is whether in fact it will have sufficient effect to make it worthwhile. Also, whether it will need to be done annually, and its cost. In the case of vaccinating badgers, this would be an absolutely mammoth undertaking if done by injection. It would seem that a great majority of young badgers would have to be vaccinated each year for many years until all the old, infected badgers had died off. If this is to be considered seriously, the cost would have to be estimated. I bear in mind that it is now realised there are many more badgers in existence than previously thought; and many people believe the count may still be too small. I understand that the National Trust in Devon, and possibly some other organisation, have set to work on vaccinating badgers. It will be essential to take evidence as to exactly how well they have succeeded. I believe I read in the paper that the work had been suspended due to too much rain. As for an oral vaccine, this would seem unlikely. Most immunisation is done by injection, except for polio, and mycobacterium bovis is said to be very tricky to deal with. If it could be developed, and proved to be effective, it could be very difficult to administer the right dose to all young badgers. In the case of vaccinating cows, the main objection, to my mind, is that that would have little effect on the amount of mycobacterium bovis circulating freely in the countryside in badgers and infecting other animals. Camelids are said to be very susceptible and much infected. There are reports of many other species now having bTB, including man. This is clearly highly undesirable; it does not take much imagination to envisage a scenario where tuberculous badgers in a garden infect a cat or dog, which passes the disease on to a child. Even very rare cases would hardly be acceptable. I am told there is one, which is being kept quiet. I hope your committee will be able to investigate all the rumours which are rife about the extent of the spread of bTB to other mammals, and that facts are being kept from the public. You are probably aware that there are conflicting statements as to the availability of a DIVA test. The exact truth needs discovering, and also whether there would be serious objection to selling vaccinated cattle, either for meat, or for breeding. (I cannot see why there should be—domestic animals are vaccinated against a multitude of diseases these days.) Is there any hope that you may be able to investigate other possible means of eradicating bTB as an alternative to Defra’s present unsatisfactory and unpopular plan, especially if you find that vaccination will not in fact succeed? We have been extremely concerned that the PCR has not been put to use for this purpose. It is said that it is not entirely reliable in field conditions; others say it has been made so. We do not like the proposal to shoot 70% of badgers, and told Defra this. We believe that even if not entirely accurate, using a PCR to determine which badgers to cull would be much better than “free shooting”. What is more, we believe that, properly presented, such a plan would be mainly acceptable to the public. Brucellosis Having had personal experience of it 55 years ago, I think you might find it helpful to study what was done towards eradicating brucellosis. This disease was to dairy farmers in the 40s and 50s what TB is now. That is: a constant worry to all, and sometimes seriously devastating when a brucellosis storm hit a dairy herd. A system of immunisation by injection was instituted, it had to be done to heifers when still young. They were marked, to indicate vaccination, and later tested to find out if they were then immune. In fact one of our heifers, which had been injected, gave a doubtful reaction to the test. She was tested again, same result. She was duly culled, in spite of the fact that she had given birth to a healthy calf. In this case it would seem that cobber Pack: U PL: CWE1 [E] Processed: [04-06-2013 18:40] Job: 029842 Unit: PG01 Ev w2 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Evidence the vaccination had been successful, but the testing was not. This is my recollection of long ago. It will need conformation from some elderly vets.. I hoped brucellosis had been eliminated, as we have never had a case. But vets tell me there is quite a lot of it still. Insofar as there was a fair success from the scheme, that might seem hopeful. But, as far as I know, no wild and ubiquitous animal was harbouring the disease, so the case is not at all parallel I hope some of this is helpful.