The Terms of Reference of the Bovine TB Eradication Group for England are:
To make recommendations to the Secretary of State on bovine TB and its eradication.
To review the current TB strategy and control measures and develop a plan for reducing the incidence of bovine TB from cattle in England and moving towards eventual eradication. To assess options to help farmers in high incidence areas maintain viable businesses when under disease restrictions.
To make recommendations on other issues as they arise. DEFRA may also choose to refer specific issues to the group.
The group will look at the options available to address infection in cattle and to reduce the risk of transmission between cattle and between cattle and wildlife, and consider costs and benefits in making recommendations for action. It will consider options for using vaccination in cattle and badgers. It will also consider any exceptional circumstances or new scientific evidence that might arise relating to the established policy on badger culling for control of TB.
A priority output from the work of this group will be a series of measures which can be submitted to the European Commission for approval as part of a formal eradication plan.