Citizen Comment: Sensible views of farmer in heated cull debate

“spindles12 - human factor is a major factor in management - so if farmers are careless (in reality practical issues, cost, training, habit, etc) you just have to write off the lesser value aspects in management - it is not a perfect world and where animals - humans included are involved, no perfect answer.

Not sure why the huge love of badgers on the part of Townies - who only see beef at a supermarket and have no idea of practical issues in agriculture or living in the countryside.”

“I read the article by Steve Jones, former diary herd manager and thought at last, someone who knows what he's talking about and isn't afraid to blame poor management by farmers rather than the "poor me, poor me" that we usually get. Even an official European Commission inspection says that failure to abide by cattle TB prevention measures is widespread, with authorities blaming lack of resources. I have no doubt that poor management of livestock has a lot to do with the spread of TB as Mr Jones says. I have heard that farmers will flout the rules and regulations to suit themselves, moving animals about the country without the necessary paperwork, even moving sheep from a blue tongue infected area into a clean one in order to be able to sell the animals, burying carcasses instead of disposing of them in the proper way, letting animals breed without telling the authorities, with inbreeding resulting in deformities, to name just a few.

If farmers want to eradicate TB in cattle then they need to do everything in their power to prevent the spread of it and not use badger culling as the easy way out. If TB is spread by badgers then why does a DEFRA leaflet advise farmers not to spread manure from infected cattle on their fields for at least six months and to disinfect everywhere that infected cattle have been? To blame the badger is far easier than to spend time and money trying to eradicate it which farmers seem unwilling to do and until there is a complete turn around in attitudes TB in cattle will never be eradicated.”

“No problem eyeopener - my only contention - personal comments stops rational discussion on the topic - but I am doing that here - so easy to get into.

Going back to the topic - TB - as waste treatment, or housing, some understand the subject matter well, some vaguely - some none except loose popular perceptions - but all assume they have good understanding of the subjects - much of the technical content on these sites is popular/some misconceived spiel.”

“Ah Tim! my little flower, now, now what did I tell you about doing your research!!

I'll send you to bed without supper, now, there's a good boy!”

“@Bonkim2003 "Tuberculosis in humans is a disease of poverty" what a load of what comes out of the back of a male cow!" Had not TimMessanger expressd his view so scathingly, I might have expressed my view less robustly. When you look at his photo he seems quite a nice chap, but he is given rubbishing to the views of anyone he disagrees with hence my more forthright response.

That said I have tried to ridicule the content, rather than the writer but it is not always easy to separate the two. I don't have anything personal against Tim, sometimes I even green arrow him as I did in todays article 'Mum told to face wall in The Mayflower to...' It all depends on what he has said, rather than who he is.”

“eyeopener - good analysis but a bit rough on others' views - correct by all means but don't rub down - most not aware of the way various diseases work/spread may assume all are contageous instantly, even though TB/consumption was prevalent in GB until early/middle of the 20th Century for all the reasons stated.”

“TimMessanger ""Tuberculosis in humans is a disease of poverty" what a load of what comes out of the back of a male cow!"

Well lets see. Archbishop Desmond Tutu the holder of the Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Gandhi Peace Prize said 'TB is the child of poverty - and also its parent and provider" This quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu encapsulates the link between TB and poverty.

TB is much more common in poor communities because:

* Overcrowding is common - people are likely to live in dark, unventilated rooms, and thus more likely to be infected by TB and to receive large doses of the bacilli.
* Patients' resistance to the disease is reduced, particularly by malnutrition and other diseases such as HIV.

How is TB spread?

Tuberculosis is an airborne disease. Only people with TB in the lungs (called Pulmonary TB) can spread the disease. They can cough up the bacteria and another person can breathe it in. A bit like a cold is caught, but not as easily. To get TB, you usually need to have very close, daily contact with someone who has the disease. Most people get it from a family member, friend, partner, or co-worker.

You're not likely to get TB from someone coughing on the bus or at a restaurant. It is not spread by dishes, drinking glasses, sheets or mattresses.

TB makes patient and family poorer because:

* The patient will probably be unable to work
* Studies suggest on average patients lose 3-4 months of work time. The annual loss is equivalent to loss of 20-30% of the family household income. If a patient dies the family loses about 15 years of income.
* The presence of a TB patient in a household entails major reallocation of time and resources towards care of the patient, and away from work.
Coping strategies
* The family may sell assets because of reduced income – pushing them further into poverty.

"Areas where you are likely to contract TB include aeroplanes, trains, buses, football grounds basically anywhere where you get people in close proximity." Well .......research shows it is unlikely to contract TB from "aeroplanes, trains, buses, football grounds basically."

I have to say Tim when you are wrong you do it in style!”

“Good husbandry has been quoted a number of times, and I'm inclined to think that it sounds completely logical.
It must surely be cheaper and easier than culling, so why not try that first, rather than the huge cost, both in money and animal lives?”

“TimMessanger - yes but long term exposure at close quarters is the significant factor. Badgers, and cattle use the same space, impossible to seggregate, and are exposed to each other on a daily basis for long periods and cattle are more valuable than badgers - so the badgers are dispensable regardless of finely analysing the statistical probabilities of exposure/susceptibility, effectiveness of vaccination, etc. Also it is easy to recognise cattle symptoms as they are always under observation - but badgers - impossible to check them regularly and vaccinate/cull selectively.”

“"Tuberculosis in humans is a disease of poverty" what a load of what comes out of the back of a male cow!

Areas where you are likely to contract TB include aeroplanes, trains, buses, football grounds basically anywhere where you get people in close proximity.”