I’m fed up with talking about the weather, but I can console myself with the fact we have grabbed every opportunity so far and progress is not too bad.Badger cull will continue despite research findings
THE Welsh Assembly Government and the Conservative Party have both made it clear they will not be diverted from badger culling policies by the conclusions of the post-RBCTresearch.
The Assembly gave the final go-ahead for badger cull in Wales last month, with an expected late April or early May start date.
The proposed cull area covers 288sq.km (111sq.m) of north Pembrokeshire and small parts of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.
Dr Christianne Glossop, Wales’ chief veterinary officer, said it ‘comes as no surprise’ the report concludes ‘badger culling alone will not provide a long-term solution to the bovine TB problem’.
She denied claims made by the scientists the proposed Welsh cull would use similar methods to those employed in the RBCT.
“We are not repeating the RBCT approach in Wales. What we are proposing is to combine a limited cull of badgers with strict cattle control measures within a defined area over a sustained period.
“Although there are similarities between the RBCT and the pilot area, the differences are so significant to prevent true comparison of the results and we are confident of a much longer-term success rate as a result,” she said.
The Conservatives, who have committed themselves to implementing a badger cull in England if they win the forthcoming General Election, said their views had not been altered by the research.
Shadow Farming Minister, Jim Paice, said: “To get on top of this terrible disease, a careful badger control policy should be sustained until it can be replaced or supplemented by vaccination.”
A Defra spokesman said the Department had asked the Independent Bovine TB Science Advisory Body to undertake additional analysis ‘to help us fully understand this new data and its implications’.
He said Defra had now begun its project to trap and vaccinate badgers in six TB hotspot areas in England.
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Readers' comments (15)
Anonymous | 12 February 2010 4:46 pm
The cull is disgraceful. As a protest everyone needs to stop eating meat or dairy products.
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Anonymous | 12 February 2010 5:05 pm
I have enjoyed many holidays in Wales. If the cull happens I shall never set foot there again nor will I buy any product whatsoever from Wales, whether edible or gifts/clothing etc. Those who rely on the tourist trade should unite to stop the wilful slaughter of British wildlife.
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Anonymous | 12 February 2010 8:26 pm
we have lost 25 cows to TB , the last to go were only a few weeks away from calving. I feel sick, we keep testing and keep killing our lovely cow that my wife hand reared. She doesn't come out on the farm any more. The badgers are suffering with this disease as well, we have found 2 frozen to death as the ill ones are pushed out of their sett and sleep in hedges etc.
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Anonymous | 15 February 2010 3:38 pm
The anonymous farmer has gone the usual route of telling us how serious bTB is, without one word of scientific argument about why a badger cull will cure it. That is because it is proven that it won't
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Anonymous | 15 February 2010 11:11 pm
I Beg every right minded person who reads about this killing of wildlie to stop buying meat and dairy products from Wales. I for one am ashamed to be Welsh
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annonymous | 16 February 2010 2:35 pm
I am absolutely sick and tired of comments that propose we all 'boycot Welsh produce' because of the badger cull. By ignoring Welsh farm produce you are hurting an industry with some of the highest welfare standards in Europe and allowing an opening for cheaper, less welfare orientated meat and dairy to flood the market from abroad. This completely negates any arguments against the cull on welfare grounds. Secondly, there seems to be the assumption that the farming industry is looking to find a scapegoat for bTB. It makes little sense to find a scapegoat - finding the route of the problem is key for the industry. If, after the evaluation of the evidence, the industry did not believe badgers were responsible for spreading bTB then fighting for a cull would be pointless as the levels of bTB would continue to rise; thereby continuing to detrimentally affect production levels. As a scientist I believe the evidence is there - and unlike many of those involved in anti-cull protests I have actually read all scientific articles on this subject going back to the 1970's. There happens to be a wealth of research information available - not just the often quoted ISG report.
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Anonymous | 16 February 2010 3:30 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with the comment posted 16/02/10. Christianne Glossop made a good rebuttal of the claims in the latest anti-cull paper. Badgers contribute relatively little to the UK economy and it makes sense to cull infected wildlife to protect a commodity such as cattle. We would not be having this discussion if rats or insects were responsible for spreading TB. That suggests to me that those against the cull are not objective in their outlook. Also speaking as a scientist, objectivity in a issue such as this is key to the correct out come. As a final point, I would like to urge everyone to thoroughly read the scientific literature available and to read it in the full context for which it has been written.
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Anonymous | 16 February 2010 3:39 pm
Am I right in assuming that those against a badger cull, wish badgers with TB to suffer and die a miserable natural death - and while they are doing that, pass it on to cattle and even by a circuitous route to humans? I thought they were supposed to be concerned with animal welfare, not instrumental in continuing animal suffering.
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Anonymous | 16 February 2010 10:05 pm
Badgers used to be kept at a suitable number before they were protected. Now they are protected, they don't have a predator. Their numbers have risen and diseased bTB badgers have risen. A cull of badgers is the only way where numbers are high to stop bTB. The only way they stopped foot and mouth was to cull so whats the difference. Wake up to the real world.
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Richard Micklethwait | 17 February 2010 12:19 pm
One possibility that seems to have been dismissed by the Government is that we now use European grain instead of American grain, and also make large amounts of maize silage. These may have reduced the selenium intake of stock which in turn suppresses the immune system. TB seems present everywhere, and so a good immune system is necessary. There is not much money to be made out of this suggestion as selenium, maybe with zinc added, is cheap but just might check BTB.
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