To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the email dated 5 May 2022 from his Department's Bovine TB Programme to authors of a report cited in the Veterinary Record containing a correction and apology from his Department for a data error on the incidence of bovine TB in areas where badgers were not culled, if he will issue a (a) public apology for, and retraction of his Department's blog issued by his Department's press office on 18 March 2022, entitled Rebuttal of claims on TB cull effectiveness and (b) correction to all journalists and independent parties briefed on the contents of that press statement; and if he will make a statement.
Answered on
1 June 2022
The Veterinary Record has published a correction to the data error in the letter from the UK Chief Veterinary Officer and Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser published on 19 March 2022. This does not alter the conclusions in the original letter. We have also corrected the corresponding Government Vets blog post. Thus, we have no plans to make a public apology for, or retraction of, Defra’s statements in response to the paper by Thomas Langton and others published on 18 March 2022.