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Written question asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative) on Monday, 6 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 July 2026. It was answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many badgers were culled in 2024 and 2025 in an effort to prevent the spread of tuberculosis in cattle; and of those badgers, how many were subsequently confirmed to have had tuberculosis.

Answer

The number of badgers culled under licence for bovine TB control purposes is published annually on GOV. UK. In 2024, the published total was 17,150.

Data on the numbers culled under licence in 2025 will be published in due course.

Badgers removed through intensive culling in the High Risk Area and Edge Area are not routinely submitted for M. bovis testing. No badgers were tested in these areas in 2024. Although some badgers were tested in 2025, the results are not yet known, as the study has not yet been completed.

Subject to capacity, badgers removed through culling operations in the Low Risk Area are sent to APHA laboratories for M. bovis testing. Not every badger removed through Low Risk Area operations may be tested for M. bovis.

Area name (year)

Number of badgers removed

Number of badgers tested

Number of positive badgers

Area 54 – Lincolnshire (2024)

54

46

3

Area 73 – Cumbria (2024)

576

449

24

Area 73 – Cumbria (2025)

175

173

1

Table 1: Number of badgers removed and tested for M. bovis in the Low Risk Area.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1671
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Badgers Disease control Bovine tuberculosis
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk