Social-ecological-systems approach to badger management in England

This research focuses on the control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) disease in England. The UK Government has recently announced no new badger culling licences will be granted, and instead the Government aims to pivot bTB control to focus on developing new tests and vaccines for cattle herds in the medium-to-long-term, and deploying badger vaccination programmes in the short-to-medium-term.

We aim to build a 'social-ecological-system' (SES) analysis of the situation, by understanding how these different disease control mechanisms could work in tandem in the future, and by considering different stakeholder opinions. There are a number of ecological, environmental, financial, and moral trade-offs that have to be balanced, which differ in various parts of England.

This is summarised in four broad aims:
1) Examine what the barriers to uptake of badger vaccination schemes on English farms are
2) Investigate what predisposes farmers to participating with badger vaccination programmes, and how different stakeholders interact with farmers to influence this
3) Explore areas of misunderstanding and understand how farming and veterinary stakeholders use evidence
4) Investigate strategies for policy design for badger vaccination rollout

This research will explore stakeholder attitudes towards different control methods, including badger vaccination, and seek to determine how individuals are influenced by their social networks. Specifically, this research will explore, through interviews, questionnaires and focus groups, what the barriers to uptake of badger vaccination schemes on English farms are, and what the underlying reasons and influences behind this are. This research will then assess what strategies for policy design are likely to be successful at integrating multiple desired outcomes for nature, farmers, and the disease.