Government research into a new bovine tuberculosis (bTB) vaccine and test aimed at helping eradicate the disease could make a “huge difference” to dairy farmers and cheesemakers in terms of costs and using raw milk.
It’s estimated that the disease costs English farms around £100m a year through lost sales and slaughtered livestock, with more than 60,000 cattle put down in 2023/24. High rates of bTB in areas such as Wales and the West and South West of England mean many farmhouse cheesemakers are also forced to pasteurise or must go through the costly process of switching between raw and pasteurised milk.
However, the Animal and Plant Health Agency has been conducting field trials of a vaccine and new Detect Infected amongst Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) skin test. The vaccine is almost 90% effective, while the test distinguishes between vaccinated cattle and those infected with the disease, something the current skin test cannot do. The initial two phases of the initiative have been successful, with the third and final on-farm stage to be completed this summer, ahead of a potential rollout, subject to official approval.
If successful, the vaccine and skin test would “make a huge difference” to farmhouse cheesemakers, said Jane Quicke, MD of Quicke’s, which currently makes pasteurised cheddar. “If DIVA was approved then we could protect our cows against the disease in the first place. A win for welfare as well as raw cheese production.” she said. “If we could clear TB as a county or even a country this would take the risk levels down to an acceptable level and we could make raw milk cheddar once again.”
Somerset raw milk cheddar producer Westcombe splits its herd between two farms to mitigate the risk of bTB. “Our passion is raw milk – it’s a flavour of a specific place – but it’s a hell of a lot more work,” said owner Tom Calver.
Montgomery’s, which also makes raw milk cheddar in Somerset, has had to pasteurise on occasion because of bTB. Owner Jamie Montgomery was less optimistic about the scheme, arguing it needs more robust testing in areas with higher rates of bTB and to see how it reacts with other vaccines. “DNA testing for bTB could provide much higher accuracy, but the Government is dead-set against anything that might get in the way of skin tests.”
This article first appeared in the May 2026 issue of Fine Food Digest.
