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The fourth year continued to be a challenge from a financial perspective due to continued impact of Covid-19 on third party fund raising. There was variation of field personnel part way through the season necessitating additional training to qualify an additional team of field operatives.

The 14 vaccination rounds in 2022 covered an area of 143.1 km2 which represents 73.4% of the original designated vaccination area.
Round 14 was abandoned during the baiting period in December 2022 in response to deteriorating weather conditions.
A total of 274 badgers were vaccinated during the 2022 season.

The four year vaccination contract with Welsh Government terminates in early May
2023. Cefn Gwlad Solutions is consulting with stakeholders on a future strategy to deliver badger BCG vaccination on the remaining land not vaccinated during 2019- 2022 programme. This amounts to around 26.4% of the designated land on Gower Peninsula. The ambition is to deliver a refreshed badger activity survey on the remaining land. This will facilitate Cefn Gwlad Solutions to make a case to Welsh Government for a vaccination programme commencing in 2024 utilising a revised funding strategy.

We would like to thank the following key partners for their support in delivering the project in 2022:

• Welsh Government
• The Gower Society
• Gower farming and other communities
• Gower Farmers Working Group
• Gower Commoners
• Iechyd Da (gwledig) Ltd.
• City and County of Swansea – AONB group
• Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
• National Resources Wales
• Wildlife Trust

Firstly, we would like to thank you for your continued support to the programme. We are hugely indebted to the community of Gower, the many organisations and individuals, and, in particular, members of the farmers working group for their enduring support in ensuring the continued roll out of vaccination.

We were in a strong financial position at the start of 2020, with sufficient funds promised from private sources that would enable us to complete the remaining three years of the vaccination rollout. But the financial challenges we and many others face following COVID-19 are considerable. We are determined to ensure the project does not fail as we believe it is of immense importance in the battle against bovine TB on the Gower and across Wales. There is no other badger vaccination project that enjoys the support of so many farmers, landowners and the rural community. We have therefore battled through 2020 to ensure that we vaccinated as many badgers as we could within the available budget

Due to the lack of funding, it has been frustrating not to have been able to vaccinate all areas to date, in particular those land holdings and farms where the owner has signed to join the programme. Our ambition is to cover the whole of Gower in 2021, subject to raising enough funds for the additional four rounds of vaccination that would be needed. Despite the challenges we continue with the drive to raise funds and we urge you to contribute. Every little bit helps. A number of farmers and other landowners have been making voluntary contributions. For example, a £100 donation by 100 landowners would generate £10,000 which would be doubled to £20,000 after government match funding. This would go a long way toward ensuring the whole of Gower is covered this year. Donations can be made via the website: https://www.gowerproject.co.uk or you can contact us by emailing info@gowerproject.co.uk

Staff started 2021 field work on 19th April, doing land survey work before commencing trapping and vaccination tasks on 3rd of May (earliest possible date).

Between May and 1st October 2020  we have vaccinated 217 badgers . We will be continuing to vaccinate until at least end of November 2020 if the weather conditions allow us to do so safely.

We were unable to hold farmer meetings due to Covid restrictions. If you want  any further information then please get in touch.

During the 2020 vaccination round further landowners have engaged with the project with consent being obtained for an additional 24 land holdings.