Bovine TB vaccination areas named

PUBLISHED: 11:53 19 October 2009 | UPDATED: 08:33 28 March 2014

OCTOBER 18, 2009: Defra has named six areas of the country where it will carry out a programme of vaccination of badgers in a bid to control Bovine TB.

The areas will be north west of Stroud in Gloucestershire, north east of Cheltenham, near Eccleshall, Staffs, on the Herefordshire/Worcestershire border, west of Tiverton in Devon and south east of Tiverton.

The 300km2 ‘catchment areas’ were selected using criteria including the level of TB?incidence in the last five years. A Defra team will be holding meetings with farmers in the autumn to discuss the project.

Farmers’ leaders have been bitterly opposed to the vaccination approach, favouring a programme of culling badgers.

MORE:Phone Defra on 0844 248 0073.