The scientific evidence could not be clearer. Last September, the UK's top cattle TB scientist, Professor John Bourne, told Welsh Assembly members that killing badgers would be putting "a disease-control policy in place that actually spreads the disease - there cannot be any precedent ever, anywhere, of putting a policy in place that is known to spread the disease".
Yet when the Rural Development Sub-Committee published its report on bovine TB this year, it didn't mention this critical scientific evidence. Instead, under the chairmanship of Alun Davies AM, the report focused only on those parts of the evidence which show that badger culling has a positive effect on TB.
Their report also focused on the advice of Professor David King, the former chief scientific advisor to the Government. He had said that killing badgers was a good idea. But like the Sub-Committee, he ignored the issues of cost and practicality. And whereas Professor Bourne and his colleagues had spent ten years poring over the scientific evidence, Professor King spent less than two days.
Between 2000 and 2002 for example, bovine TB rose by a colossal 262% in Wales. Badger numbers remained stable and badgers don't migrate. But this increase followed foot and mouth disease. Under pressure from the farming unions, the Government allowed farmers to move untested cattle all over the country and the result was an explosion of bovine TB.
Between 2005 and 2006, Welsh dairy herds grew by an average of 11%, mostly by importing cattle from the south west of England where TB is rife. The following year, TB levels jumped nearly 20%.
Welsh tax payers are paying for this farming catastrophe. For every cow slaughtered with TB, tax payers fork out compensation to farmers and evidence shows that sometimes this compensation is well over 100% of the actual value of the animal.
It is hard to imagine a more morally corrupt situation. TB is spread by cattle. Tax payers pick up the bill. And now Assembly Members expect Welsh tax payers to pay for killing badgers, too. It is a tragic day for wildlife in Wales.
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3 Responses to "Tragic day"
Farms for the future (a recent natural world programme) identified the enclosure of cattle over the winter months is unnessary, and the use of a more diverse grass mix on the land allows for the less significant poaching of the landscape. This alone would give the cows a chance to avoid the disease, rather than being cramped into sheds, with rats running amock.... Bring better practices in and stop the cull. See Mark Purdey was right.... OP (organophosphates) have been increasingly used.Surely research into their uses in farming must be taken into consideration. On the whole, the majority of our farming practices are appalling. Amassing data, and evidence supports the case that the continued practices cannot improve the animals lot, animal husbandry it seems is a thing of the past. It makes us less 'humane' as these descisions are being taken. What will the landscape look like in seven generations, let alone the one my daughter is growing up in.
Whilst I am supportive of all wild life and believe that man and creature can live in harmony, I am also in favour of that wild life being healthy. There is a consenus and plenty of scientific evidence to prove that bovine TB is a major problem within the badger community. We have to ensure that this problem is eradicated, for the sake of the badgers. Thus, slaughtering cows in their thousands and allowing the badger to suffer and pass on TB - makes absolutely no sense. Thus a cull can eradicate TB from cows and wild life. Go for it and let common sense prevail.
Trasig!!! Ydi wir, ond, falle fod trasig ddim yn air digon cryf i ddisgrifio'r sefyllfa bresennol. Trasig fod milloedd ar filoedd o wartheg wedi cael eu difa wrth i Lywodraeth ar ôl Llywodraeth guddio o'r broblem fod TB yn ehangu. Trasig fod TB mewn gwartheg erbyn hyn wedi mynd allan o bob rheolaeth. Trasig mai dim ond un ffynhonell o darddiad y clwy sydd wedi cael ei dargedu a'i ddifa ers blynyddoedd - y fuwch. Trasig bod y gost o ddi-golledu ffermwyr wedi tyfu i dros £15 miliwn y flwyddyn i'r trethdalwyr. Trasig bod na ffermwyr llaeth wedi defnyddio TB mewn gwartheg fel ffynhonell i wneud pres enfawr. Trasig fod pob ochr o'r ddadl yn troi a cham ddefnyddio ystadegau i'r fath raddau nes bod y gwirionedd yn cael ei golli'n llwyr. Trasig ei bod hi'n amhosib i reoli TB mewn gwartheg heb reoli TB mewn bywyd gwyllt. Trasig, a'r un mwyaf un, bod 'na bobl yn amddiffyn anifeiliaid heintus o dan enw cadwraeth.