Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Monday, 13 June 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 June 2005. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 June 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Badgers (Tuberculosis)

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to allow (a) land owners and (b) land occupiers to test badger setts humanely to ensure they are tuberculosis free.

Answer: There is currently no reliable diagnostic test for TB in live badgers. We are funding research into the development of a number of alternative immunological assays for the detection of M. bovis infection in badgers at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. Further evaluation is being undertaken and results should be available by the end of 2005.Post-mortem inspection and laboratory culture of M. bovis remains the most sensitive method of diagnosis.

Secondary information