bTB badger vaccination
At the Three Counties Show, Defra launched its refreshed strategy to eliminate bTB by 2038.
The NFU has welcomed the strategy's goal of building on the progress already made and has called for urgency in its delivery. More on the strategy can be read online.
Although wildlife control has not been ruled out, the mechanism for allowing this is still to be determined. What we know is that wildlife control will be a last resort option and will only be considered when all other options have failed.
One such option is badger vaccination. In April, Defra awarded a contract valued at £15,158,014 to Farmcare Solutions to roll out a large-scale badger vaccination programme across nine cluster areas in England, aimed at tackling bovine tuberculosis (bTB).
The multi-year field initiative expands on the East Sussex model, which has proved successful. Initially three areas have been chosen in North Shropshire, Worcestershire and South Oxfordshire, with a further six areas still to be chosen.
Following interest from members in exploring badger vaccination, I invited Dr Lindsay Heasman, from Farmcare Solutions, who is one of the leads for the Defra badger vaccination project, to our last county meeting to explain how members can get involved.
The meeting was attended by representatives from several farm animal veterinary practices, as well as members, and Dr Heasman had a positive response. It is important to note that the project is fully funded by Defra, so, unlike previous control operations, there is no cost to the farmer.
Farmers, and landowners, have the final say on who is allowed on their land to carry out the vaccination and, with training, could be sub-contracted to carry out the vaccination.
The approach to trapping is far more overt than for previous operations, with multiple cage traps being deployed on runs and near setts for a shorter period of time and has proved very effective.
Defra and APHA will soon be deciding which additional vaccination areas are chosen and one of the criteria that may influence their decision is what interest there is in a county in getting involved.
You can register your interest, with no obligation to proceed, at BVFF and if you’re interested in becoming a delivery partner. The project is open to both livestock and arable farmers.
Staffordshire Local Nature Recovery Scheme
The consultation for the Staffordshire LNRS closes on 27 July at 5pm, and we have arranged with the county council to have two webinars, to further inform you about what the LNRS entails. These are scheduled to take place on Microsoft Teams as follows:
- Tuesday, 14 July, 5.15pm to 6.30pm
- Monday, 20 July 1.30pm to 2.45pm
The webinars will be facilitated by Chris Seabridge and Associates. There will be an introduction to and overview of the LNRS, a live demonstration of the LNRS mapping, and a Q&A session, referencing the FAQs online.
Please email [email protected] if you wish to attend so that they can add you to the webinar invitation list. Please specify which webinar you are interested in attending.
Rural crime
In last month’s County Voice, I mentioned that the NFU Mutual had published its annual Rural Crime Report, based on the figures for 2025. It shows the cost of rural crime had fallen in the past year, by 21% across the Midlands. but has raised concerns about “worrying increases” in key areas with agricultural and livestock thefts on the rise. You can read more about this online.
I’ve now managed to get a little more information from the NFU Mutual, who have told me that the figure for Staffordshire has risen by 4%, which is very disappointing. My next scheduled meeting with Staffordshire Police is on 26 August. If you have any concerns about rural crime, please let me know and I will raise them.
RABI FarmersAid app
With harvest, second cut silage, and hay-making in full swing it’s a time of year when farmers are working long hours, and sadly, in a split-second could have an accident.
Agriculture accounts for around 20% of all work-related fatalities despite representing just 1% of the workforce. Serious incidents in farming often happen in isolated environments, where access to emergency services is limited and time is critical.
RABI have recently launched a free FarmersAid app designed to help people to respond quickly and confidently when a serious on farm accident occurs. FarmersAid is RABI’s response to this challenge and is now available to download free of charge.
Developed with clinical expertise, FarmersAid provides clear, step-by-step guidance for the ten most common serious on-farm accidents. The app is designed to support people in those critical moments before emergency services arrive.
Of course, we hope that you stay safe and won’t need to use the app, but, just in case, you can download it.
Post-Harvest Social
Following the success of last year’s post-harvest get together, we are planning to hold a similar event on Thursday, 10 September. Hopefully the details of the venue, etc, will be confirmed by next month’s County Voice.