The Welsh Rural Affairs Minister this week announced that a pilot scheme to cull thousands of badgers in Wales will start later this year, after the badger breeding season has finished in May. The £9m pilot cull will take place across a 288 sq.km area, mainly in Pembrokeshire, and will see five culls take place over the course of several years.
In making the announcement, the Minister, Elin Jones, said that bovine TB is “out of control” in Wales, and stated that the compensation bill for farmers was £24m in 2009, a rise from £1m in 2000. 12,000 cattle were culled in 2008 due to bovine TB.
The move has been welcomed by the British Veterinary Association and by farmers but condemned by others, citing the ten-year study by the Independent Scientific Group which showed the culling badgers could actually increase the risk of spreading the disease, conluding that “while badgers are clearly a source of cattle TB, careful evaluation of our own and others’ data indicates that badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain. Indeed, some policies under consideration are likely to make matters worse rather than better.”
Guardian: 13 January 2010, Badger cull to go ahead in Wales, John Vidal
Previous posts relating to the ISG report, the subsequent report by Prof. Sir David King, then Government Chief Scientific Advisor, the EFRA Select Committee and news stories on the topic can be found in the BES Blog archive.
A cull took place in the West Country a couple of years ago. The results were showed a failure to stop TB (which is treatable in cattle) when badgers were culled.
We are fast losing wildlife and habitat on this planet, what then can we be thinking when we decide to sacrifice vast numbers of beautiful wild animals in a pitiful attempt to shore up an already shameful livestock-based agricultural system. And any one of us who purchases meat, dairy, leather and their by-products will have to take some responsibility for this.
The largest transmission of bTB is between cattle to cattle in over crowded cattle sheds that are overcrowded at half the “welfare” standard, and during transportation. This is where efforts should be concentrated to eradicate this disease. Testing should take place at pre and post movement of cattle, taking out those infected. This would eradicate two thirds of the disease within a year. Bio security should be used on ALL farms to keep badgers and cattle apart wherever possible and keep food stocks secure from predation by ALL other animals.
Why waste tax payers money of a badger cull when it is already
known it is impossible to kill ALL the badgers in any area and would re- populate within 5 years.
Bovine TB is, as its name implies, a disease amongst bovines (cows) and effects them badly. It is possible for badgers and other animals to catch this disease from the cows but it does not effect them so badly. Otherwise since badgers live in such confined sets the whole family would be wiped out.
To eradicate this disease effectively all efforts should be concentrated from its origins amongst the cows themselves.
Tests should be carried out far more regularly and action taken immediately before it can spread. Then this disease would become controllable.
Money should be spent in this area alone where it would be possible to control the disease quickly and effectively.
Initially farmers would have to be helped financially but then be encouraged to take responsibility for their herds by using better husbandry together with bio security methods and regular testing. Farmers should not receive compensation for infected cows at the same rate as a healthy cow sold at market as this does not encourage them to take the necessary precautions.
*Warning* poor spelling and even worse grammar ahead! (english is not my native tounge ^^)
Where I come from – Sweden – we have hundreds of thousands of badgers in the wild.
Despite this, I haven’t heard any veterinarian here say that “it’s the badgers fault” that we sometimes have outbreaks of TB among cattle.
Instead they refer to cramped spaces for the cattle on the farms that report outbreaks of TB. As soon as that is remedied, the cases of TB drops to almost nothing.
I think someone should investigate how near bad and dirty farmers are to these outbreaks. I have ridden through fields in Devon on many occasions and found rotting carcases, if this does not spread disease then what does?
how can i make contact with minister elin reguarding cattle tb ,,there is avery simple answer to the fifty year tb industery,, and afew days wiil bring an end to tb buisness.. in gb and ireland,, prvided the ministr wants to listen ..and there will be no cost involved;;my name is james oriordan limerick ireland phone 06398271 g b 003536398271