PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(6 July 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Bovine TB Control Strategy for England, published on 10 June 2026, what weight her Department attaches to rates of cattle-to-cattle transmission compared to badger-to-cattle transmission of bovine TB when assessing the proportionality of lethal control of badgers; and what proportion of projected bovine TB control expenditure is allocated to (a) cattle-based and (b) wildlife-based measures over the next five years.

Asked by:
Rachael Maskell (Labour)

The Government is currently considering the proposals set out in the recommended Bovine TB Control Strategy. As such, in the context of the recommendation to develop a framework to inform decisions about lethal badger control, no such assessment has yet been made on proportionality.

The Government does not hold a projected five-year breakdown of bovine TB control expenditure allocated between cattle-based and wildlife-based measures. Future funding decisions will be made through the normal Spending Review and departmental business planning processes.

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