Miliband still open-minded on badger cull

The Defra Secretary made it clear will look at other evidence in making his decision.

His comments came in a Parliamentary statement on the publication of the Independent Scientific Group on Bovine TB’s long-awaited report on the Randomised Badger Culling Trials (RBCT).

The report concluded small scale culling can increase levels of TB in cattle. It says proactive culling can bring benefits but only if sustained over a number of years and co-ordinated.

However, the ISG said it would not be practical or economical to deliver a cull on this scale. This led it to conclude that badger culling could ‘not contribute meaningfully’ to the control of bovine TB in Britain.

However, Mr Miliband made it clear he had not ruled out issuing badger culling licences to farmers.

“I have always made it clear that we will base our approach to tackling bovine TB on all the available evidence,” Mr Miliband

He said Defra would consider the issues the report raises and would continue to work with the industry, Government advisers and scientific experts in reaching a final policy decision.

“We know that the badger can play a role in maintaining disease in the areas where bovine TB is endemic,” he said..

“The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 allows the culling of badgers under licence for disease control purposes but, while the RBCT has been in progress, there has been a moratorium on issuing licences for culling of badgers for bovine TB.

“The ISG’s final report marks the end of the RBCT. We therefore need to decide next steps.”

The NFU vowed to keep the up pressure for a badger cull. Highlighting recent experience in Ireland where culling had reduced TB outbreaks in cattle by 42 per cent in the last five years, NFU president Peter Kendall said he ‘simply did not accept’ that the industry cannot devise an effective culling strategy.

Badger Trust spokesman Trevor Lawson said the report proved that ‘killing badgers is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, doing far more harm than good’.