There is a well known saying, 'no pain, no gain' and that will be ringing true in the minds of Milk Link’s 1,600 producers, who are on the brink of reaping just reward for 12 years of loyalty and investment.Scheme launched to stop badger abuse
A UK-WIDE project has been launched to try to achieve consistency in recording and reporting crime against, and persecution of, badgers.
Operation Meles has been initiated by Scottish Badgers and The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), with the support of the Badger Trust and other partners.
Ian Hutchinson, species protection officer with Scottish Badgers, said
historically, official crime statistics failed to reflect the true level of badger persecution in the UK. It became increasingly obvious there was much more crime being committed than was being recorded, and few resources committed to proper investigation.
However, largely through the work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), badger crime has been raised to the level of a UK Wildlife Crime Priority. But one problem is that Scotland, Northern Ireland and England and Wales have different legislation, leading to discrepancies in the law.
The RSPCA will be establishing priorities, Scottish Badgers and the Badger Trust will oversee prevention and intelligence will be co-ordinated by the NWCU.
Enforcement will be by the North Yorkshire Police and RSPCA (England and Wales), SSPCA and NWCU (Scotland), The Police Service Northern Ireland with the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Northern Ireland).
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Readers' comments (10)
Anonymous | 5 August 2010 2:35 pm
people will keep killing them(quite rightly) until the government see sense
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Anonymous | 6 August 2010 8:58 am
Agree with Anaoymous, above. The badger trust can't see it, but the failure of the controlled cull in Wales worst thing that could have happened. Badgers will now be slaughtered illegally in TB hotspots as a consequence, it's the only way the problem is going to get sorted.
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the peasant | 6 August 2010 9:06 am
Will the agencies given the task of enforcing the law find a reason for the discrepancy between the number of stories of badger persecution by people who aver that their accounts are true, and the number of those who can actually provide evidence of the offences. Is the problem under reporting or over egging?
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jane | 6 August 2010 11:08 am
If farmers try to kill badgers illegally, some will be caught, and hopefully treated the same as badger baiters and fined heavily or face prison.
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Anonymous | 6 August 2010 12:15 pm
Oh no! Jail!
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BK | 6 August 2010 1:13 pm
Ha, yet again the farmers show their true colours. If you go out and kill them illegally, I hope what you get is what you increase the risk of. Movement of badgers that have tb onto your land. Tb is a disease caused by intensive farming and your own practices. The problem won't get "sorted" that way, you're just showing utter ignorance and blind belief in your own selfish manipulation of truth. Good luck to you, hope you go down with your industry. And as for over egging the problem, I survey all day every day, and come across dug out setts all the time. It is MASSIVELY under-reported. And yes I do know what I'm looking for. What you are going to find, if I am not much mistaken, is that the public value their wildlife more than you realise, and if they knew how much it was being decimated in the pursuit of money, they would be appalled. Fighting for a cull and resorting to illegal activities is only going to bring those facts to their attention.
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the peasant | 6 August 2010 4:26 pm
And when BK all the farmers go down with their industry, you will simply starve.
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Susan Strickland | 9 August 2010 9:18 pm
Hear Hear BK - I agree wholeheartedly.
And 'the peasant' - when the dairy industry goes down I will continue to eat as well (very well) as I do now. I have no need of dairy products (and neither has anyone else either).I
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BK | 10 August 2010 3:49 pm
Well only if I ate dairy and meat, but er, I don't!?! On account of farmer's like you. Was a meat and dairy eater for 34 years of my life until this year. And funny, I *can* actually grow my own food, clever that, no?
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MAT | 14 January 2011 11:11 pm
Our methods need to change. The reduction will only be seen in badger numbers. I quote the proceedings of the grounds for a 3rd appeal in June. “That in effect the Order (which is only secondary legislation) permits the extinction of the badger in Wales and is unlimited in time. If this is set as a precedent in law, it could lead to the extinction of badgers in the UK.Of which there are approximately 288,000 badgers .There are however,9,254,584 cattle recorded as being present on the British Isles, June 2006.
It seems obvious to me where the cull should be!
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