The rate of bovine TB among badgers in NI continues to sit above the 20% mark, according to the latest results from a long-running survey.

In 2024, DAERA collected 465 dead badgers throughout NI as part of its roadside collection and testing project.

Department officials found that 420 roadkill badgers were in a suitable condition for TB testing last year and 87 carcases returned a positive result.

The results equate to a positive rate of 21% which is the same level as the previous year.

The highest rate of TB found in badgers as part of the roadkill survey was in 2022 when 23% of badgers tested positive for the disease.

Roadkill

Prior to 2022, disease rates in roadkill badgers were below the 20% mark and the lowest rate in recent times was in 2020 when TB was confirmed in 14% of badgers.

Even with the consistently high positive rates, concerns remain that the DAERA survey could be significantly under-estimating TB infections in local wildlife.

The problem is that TB infections in badgers which are latent or at an early stage are not detected in the testing process.

Previous research published in the scientific journal Veterinary Record found the sensitivity of the standard TB test used on dead badgers in Britain was around 55%.

This means 45% of the badgers that are truly infected with TB are not detected, so the actual rate of TB in badgers could be nearly twice as much as the survey results may suggest.