Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in developing a vaccine against bovine tuberculosis for (a) badgers and (b) cows; and if he will make a statement.
Answer
The research programme for producing an effective vaccine against tuberculosis in (a) badgers and (b) cattle remains broadly in line with the timetable outlined in the Krebs report (1997). This estimated:"Years 1 to 5: Identification of candidate vaccines and development of differential diagnostic tests;""Years 5 to 10: Experimental investigations of vaccination protocols;""Years 10 to 15: Field trials."The first stage started in 1999 and is ongoing. The second stage has started and work on badger vaccines includes a three and a half year vaccine field trial to gather safety data and assess efficacy on injectable Bacille Calmette-Guerin, and a project on developing oral formulations. The cattle vaccine research programme includes a natural transmission study looking at various candidate vaccines.