1. East Offaly Badger Removal Project 1989-1994

2. Area Project Buffer Control

3. Objectives Removal of as many badgers as possible. Monitor the effect of this removal on TB levels in cattle. Compare results with a control area & national figures.

4. Preliminary Studies in E. Offaly YearNo. of badgersTB pos. badgers 198451 (20.0%) 19859617 (17.7%) 19867721(27.3%) 1987727 (9.7%) 19881077 (6.5%) Total35753 (14.8%)

5. Previous badger Removals. Ballycrissane, Co Galway, 1985 7 sq km area 54 badgers captured 15 (29%) gross TB lesions

6. Sett Survey Main Setts 234 Other Setts 418 50% of main setts in hedgerow 62% of other setts in hedgerow

7. Snaring Periods DateActive SettsBadgersBadgers/sett 89 Jan-May Sept-Dec 456 (70) 141 (22) 636 201 1-13 1-3 90 Feb-June Sept-Dec 234 (36) 108 (17) 209 91 1-4 94 Feb-Apr May-Jun Sept-Nov Dec 57 (9) 35 (5) 16 (2) 63 23 17 9 1-4 1-3 1-2

8. Badgers captured & TB pos YearProjectBufferTotal 1989 TB+ 700 86 (12) 137 23 (17) 837 109 (13) 1990 TB+ 197 24 (12) 103 3 (3) 300 27 (9) 1991 TB+ 117 13 (11) 74 8 (11) 191 21(11) 1992 TB+ 108 7 (6) 72 2 (3) 180 9 (5) 1993 TB+ 62 8 (13) 51 2 (4) 113 10 (9) 1994 TB+ 48 3 (6) 64 3 (4) 112 6 (5) Total TB+ 1232 141 (11) 501 41 (8) 1733 182(10.5

9. Reactors Project Area YearNo. Animal testsNo. ReactorsA P T 198883,3153263.91 1989103,0323623.51 1990103,3322992.89 199172,2021942.69 199265,803891.35 199367,087540.80 199468,527540.79 199565,348300.46

10. Reactors Control area YearNo. TestsNo.ReactorsA P T 1988268,6329103.39 1989294,0889823.34 1990286,4259043.16 1991218,8139794.47 1992234,8885942.53 1993212,3824041.90 1994210,3894432.11 1995204,9494302.10

11. National Figures YearCattleTestsReactorsA P T 19886.3211.0629,7322.7 19896.7012.4443,3853.5 19906.9012.4341,4193.3 19916.848.2136,8324.4 19927.0810.8935,9973.3 19937.0410.4530,3592.9 19947.1410.4430,4392.9 19957.1710.1133,1803.2

12. Case control study Eves (2001) A case control study on the incidence of bovine TB in an area of extensive badger culling in Co Offaly, Ireland. M V M. thesis NUI. 107 herds in the Project area. This was the total herds in the area with a confirmed TB outbreak in the years 1986,87 & 88. 122 similar herds from the rest of Co Offaly in which intensive badger removal did not take place were selected at random.

13. Case control study (contd) Herd size Enterprise type Cows per herd Total reactors Reactor cows Reactor non-cows Positive contiguous herds Number of failed tests

14. Total Reactors (1990-1993) 74 reactors in 30 of the Project Area herds. ( range 1 - 11) 287 reactors in 57 of the Control Area herds. ( range 1- 34) Difference statistically significant (P < 0.05)

15. Reactor non-cows 36 reactor non-cows in Project Area. 209 reactor non-cows in Control Area Difference significantly different (P<0.05)

16. Positive Contiguous Herds Project Area; 0.97 per herd Control Area; 1.91 per herd Difference statistically significant (P<0.01)

17. Number of failed tests Project Area; 1.26 Control Area; 2.03 Difference statistically significant (P< 0.01)