As I mentioned in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 7 of 30 November 2016, it is my Department's intention to deploy a full badger vaccination strategy as soon as robust scientific evidence becomes available to demonstrate that such a programme is practicable and will deliver an outcome equivalent to the existing wildlife programme.
A number of field trials have been taking place throughout the country, involving the vaccination of badgers by intramuscular injection with the human BCG vaccine. The field trials are now coming to a conclusion and the preliminary results are currently being evaluated. Based on those results I expect to be in a position to make an announcement on the future role of a badger vaccination programme before the end of the year.