What are the key claims made in Brian May’s controversial bovine TB doc?

Since airing last week, Sir Brian May’s documentary on the link between badgers and bovine TB has been accused of ignoring peer reviewed evidence – focusing on only a single farm’s experience.

The programme, ‘Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers, and Me’, focuses on Gatcombe Farm, east Devon, which was the subject of a research project exploring how to tackle bTB on farm.

The farm suffered a major breakdown in 2012, losing 30-40 animals. Farm vet Dick Sibley and farmer Robert Reed take steps to boost farm hygiene and carry out enhanced testing to shed light on the issue.

Whilst the programme has come under fire, some have pointed out that it has brought bTB into the mainstream media and shows the devastating impact on farmers’ mental health.

We take a look at the key claims made in the programme, and the industry’s reaction…

1. Concerns over skin test 

The programme highlights known concerns about the efficacy of the bTB skin test, which Mr Sibley says is good at detecting TB in herds, but not individuals – where it only finds around 50% of infected cows.

Instead, he uses more sensitive testing methods not usually available to farmers. 

He said was “gobsmacked” by the level of bTB in Gatcombe’s herd – having expected to find 4-5 positive animals, over 75% of the herd was found to be infected (40 animals). 

2. bTB shed in cattle faeces 

As testing demonstrates that bTB is being shed through the cows’ faeces, a number of measures are taken to improve the farm’s hygiene.

Additionally, Sir May claimed that none of the cows in the fields got TB – only those that were confined to sheds and ‘never came into contact with wildlife’ became reactors.

The programme infers that the cows are infecting badgers, through infected slurry being spread onto fields, rather than the other way round.

Mr Sibley claimed: “It’s most likely that the level of infection we’ve got here in the badgers is due to constant reinfection from the cows.” 

He advises Gatcombe to only spread the slurry on arable land, not maize or grazing fields, and plough it in to get it underground.

READ MORE: Clarkson’s Farm sparks debate on bovine TB and badger culling

The farm also invests in a battery-operated Lely slurry collector which goes out 42 times a day to minimise transmission between cows – as well as fast filling and emptying water troughs to avoid cows defecating in them. 

Barriers around feeding areas also keep cows’ back ends away from food.

It was found that a third of the farm’s local badger population was infected with TB, but they were not vaccinated as planned during the study, due to vaccine shortages.

3. Declared bTB free 

It’s claimed during the programme that once these enhanced biosecurity measures were implemented, the farm was declared TB-free in 2019.

However, a note at the end of the documentary reveals the farm has in fact had another three outbreaks in the past five years, but is currently TB free.

4. New approaches are needed

Both Dick Sibley and Robert Reed are undecided on whether badgers are involved in TB transmission, but state that, either way, we need new tools to help tackle bTB.

“TB has been driven into people and associated with badgers, maybe a little bit too much, and maybe it’s not all the badger,” said Robert. “Maybe it’s not at all the badger, but whatever you think you have to turn around and find different means of getting rid of TB.” 

Dick added: “I was one of those campaigning for badger controls back in the 90s. Now I’m ambivalent about it. I don’t really know. 

“But what I do not is that here in Devon, we have been killing badgers for the last five years or more and the TB is no better, and indeed in our area, in Mid Devon, it’s got worse. 

“So whether the badgers are involved or not I don’t know. But killing them is not solving the problem.”

READ MORE: Bovine TB vaccine trials “a major step forward”

Serious impact on mental health

During the programme, Sir May visits a number of other farms, and the emotional impact of bovine TB on the farming community is clear to see.

Devon farmer Malcolm Huxtable is shown breaking down in tears when a reactor is identified on his farm. 

He said: “Cows are part of our family – when you load up your best animals to go to slaughter in the prime of life, you think how long are we expected to do this?”

Malcolm told Sir May: “I think there is no doubt that wildlife plays quite a major part in the spread of TB.

“We don’t want to kill anything but we’re in a situation, which I think you fully appreciate today; you’ve seen what happens when you lose a good animal.”

However, he conceded that a new approach is needed, and badger culling may not be the final or only solution – but farmers have not been given any other options.

Commenting on his decision to be part of the programme he said: “People will probably say we were foolish but if we can’t meet anyone and talk about our problems we’re not going to get over our problems.”

Slowly destroying him

Another farmer, Chris Mossman in West Wales, was visited for the programme in 2020. After taking over his dad’s farm over 30 years ago, he grew the herd from 60 to 400 cows – until TB hit.

They have lost 380 animals to the disease since 2016 and have been testing every 60 days for four years.

Chris’s daughter Bella was so terrified of the impact on his mental health that she moved back to the farm from London.

His wife Debbie told the documentary that the situation is “slowly destroying him”.

Visibly emotional, Chris said: “I feel I’ve let these girls down, our job is to care for these cows as best we can. 

“Somehow something has gone wrong on this farm and I’m powerless to do anything about it. 

“We try, by God we’ve tried almost everything to help ourselves. And nothing to this point has worked.”

Mr Sibley visits the farm to advise on improving farm hygiene and whilst acknowledging the measures may not be a complete solution, Chris said it could be part of the bigger picture.

Never recovered

Similarly, in the Gower Peninsula, Vivian Pearce lost his entire herd to TB in 2010 – and has had to diversify into weddings to pay the bills.

He said he has never fully recovered from losing the herd: “I miss my cattle very much. People won’t understand but it’s part of the family really, it’s your livelihood, you’re with them every day. It’s so sad to see them go.”

Whilst he believed the infection must have come from badgers as they had a closed herd, the documentary implies that it could have come in with a bull – due to reliability issues with the skin test.

How has the farming community reacted?

Farming organisations including the NFU, AHDB and Farmers Union of Wales have criticised the programme for lack of peer reviewed evidence.

Sarah Tomlinson, technical director of the TB Advisory Service, shared concerns about Sir May’s opinions being “shared as fact”. 

She added that he “openly dismissed” peer reviewed science and evidence showing badgers play a role in the spread of TB to cattle during an interview on The One Show. 

For example, a peer reviewed study published this year showed a 56% reduction in new herd breakdowns.

She added that we are 10 years into the 25-year TB eradication strategy and statistics in England show we have the lowest levels of bTB for 20 years.

This is due to a combination of more stringent cattle testing, biosecurity measures and reducing badger numbers, she said.

The NFU’s president Tom Bradshaw has said the programme is “fundamentally flawed” and believes the fact that Gatcombe Farm has suffered further bTB breakdowns “undermines the whole premise of the programme”.

NFU is writing a formal letter of complaint to the broadcaster.

AHDB also said it was disappointed that despite sharing its concerns, the programme was missing key evidence – however it was pleased that it highlighted the impact of TB on farmers’ mental health.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales fiercely criticised the programme, calling it “irresponsible”. 

President Ian Rickman said: “Airing a documentary without balanced scientific evidence offers nothing to the debate around bovine TB control.

“The documentary overindulged an individual’s opinion based on unproven theories of a singular experiment on one farm. 

“The farm in question [Gatcombe] continues to be in a cycle of bovine TB breakdowns which is a situation that is sadly mirrored on many farms across Wales, where current government policy does not allow the culling of badgers to control the spread of TB in cattle.”

The programme was also criticised for not offering expert counter agruments to the theories being made.

However, FUW agreed that the current on-farm test used to identify bovine TB is not sufficiently robust.

But, “similar testing technology used in conjunction with a fully holistic approach to bovine TB eradication has been successful in other countries,” Mr Rickman added.

The British Cattle Veterinary Association has also raised concerns about inaccuracies in the programme, adding:

“The farmers and herds who are suffering with TB month after month can feel alone and helpless – targeted blame or shame could prove devastating.

“Not to mention the public reaction – who may well be attracted to a much-loved celebrity sharing his personal views which are not backed by evidence.”

Meanwhile, well known TV and social media personality Gareth Wyn Jones, who was featured on the programme, has since said an opportunity to show both sides of the argument was missed.

Government policy

Prior to election the Labour Party branded the badger cull ‘ineffective’ but has said pre-existing licences will be maintained to allow time to work with farmers, conservationists and scientists on eradication measures.

Meanwhile, the Welsh Government told the BBC documentary that it continues its commitment to not mass cull badgers.

NFU president Mr Bradshaw urged anyone who is struggling to reach out to farming charities and organisations for help.

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