Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to secure alternative supplies of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine for the purpose of preventing the spread of tuberculosis in the badger population (a) through the EDGE Scheme and (b) in other ways.

The only Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine authorised for use in badgers in the UK is produced by a single Danish manufacturer. Following advice from Public Health England on the need to prioritise available stocks for humans, the Government has taken the decision to suspend attempts to source BCG vaccine for the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme and other private badger vaccination deployment projects in England until the supply situation is resolved. This follows the decision of the Welsh Government to do the same. Our long-term research to develop an oral TB vaccine for badgers and an effective TB vaccine for cattle is not expected to be affected by the current supply issue.