TB found in four in 10 Cork North badgers

Last year, the total number of badgers removed from vaccine areas, because they were positive for TB, was 2,548. Picture: Richard Mills

Cork North is one of three regional veterinary office areas where the Department of Agriculture has found a higher than 40% presence of bovine tuberculosis at post mortem in badgers this year.

Nationally, bTB was found in 372 out of 1,530 badgers, a 24.3% incidence.

According to the Department of Agriculture, TB cannot be eradicated in badgers or cattle without addressing the problem in both species, because they share the common habitat of grazing land.

In vaccination areas, the badgers are caught with a stopped body restraint or a cage. They are then sedated and a blood sample taken to test if they have TB. If the badger is negative, it is vaccinated. They are also identified and microchipped, so it is known they have been vaccinated, if they are captured again.

In 2025, in vaccination areas, about 3,040, about one quarter of captured badgers, were vaccinated. Only healthy badgers are vaccinated.

The total number of badgers removed from vaccine areas, because they were positive for TB, was 2,548.

In “removal areas”, which tend to be hotspots where there are particularly high levels of disease in both cattle and badgers, badgers are captured, euthanised and disposed of, to reduce the risk to cattle.

In 2025, there were 5,187 badgers removed from removal areas, for a total of 7,735 badgers removed in 2025.

Recently in the Dáil, agriculture minister Martin Heydon answered a question from Galway East Independent TD Seán Canney about the number of badgers found to have TB in post-mortem inspections in 2026.

The minister said a test-vaccinate-remove approach was a key action in the Bovine TB Action Plan launched a year ago, to reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of bTB.

He gave details of badger samples tested for TB at post mortem in regional veterinary offices so far this year.

The highest incidences of infection were in Longford (14 out of 33, 42.4%); Cork North (28 out of 67, 41.8%); and Galway (19 out of 47, 40.4%).

There were also relatively high incidences in Cavan (19 out of 59, 32%); Donegal (19 out of 62, 30.6%); Kerry (37 out of 99, 37.4%); Limerick (21 out of 58, 36.2%); and Mayo (13 out of 41, 31.7%).

Elsewhere in Munster, badger samples that tested positive for TB at post mortem were 12% in Cork South; 24.5% in Tipperary; and 18.6% in Waterford.