Councillors say no to badger cull in Tewkesbury

“Quote:

The Peasant
Thank you Brian | 3 October 2012 8:42 am for asking an intelligent question. Firstly not every animal of that 40% that would have reacted to a skin test would have gone on to develop clinical symptoms of the disease. We now slaughter all reactors because we don't know which ones will go on to develop the disease and become infectious and which ones won't. Those cows that did develop clinical TB in the 1930's would have been described as "going off screw" and veterinary advice would have been "get rid of her as quick as you can" usually to a knacker-yard. A TB eradication scheme was launched in the 1930's but did not get very far before war caused it to be held in abeyance for the duration. After the war the scheme was relaunched with renewed vigour and I would think that very probably 40% of the national herd was culled as reactors, but this took place on a voluntary basis, at a relatively slow pace until 1960 when the incidence of TB in cattle had dropped to a sufficiently low level for compulsory testing and slaughter of reactors to be introduced.”

“Ladybugs - you are wrong. There was closer monitoring of cattle in the past”

“MOST OF ENGLAND IS TB FREE AND THERE ARE NO PLANS TO CULL BADGERS IN THE TB FREE AREAS. Badgers are not an endangered species and the badger population is not going to be wiped out. It is a pity that this and the fact that TB was almost cleared from our herds by the culling method has not been made clear to people via the media.”

“"How are Badgers implicated?"

"1971 TB was found in badgers for the first time when bTB had been eliminated in
cattle by rigorous testing and slaughter regime over most of the UK, but remained in a few areas in the South West. A badger culling trial around Thornbury (Nr.Bristol), Hartland Devon) and Steeple Leaze (Dorset) proved that badgers were spreading TB.

1975-1981 In heavily infected areas, in the South West, bTB was cleared by culling both infected cattle and infected badgers.

Early 1980s bTB was almost eradicated from the UK. Only 100 new outbreaks were being recorded and in 1984 only 400 cattle were slaughtered.

1981 The Zuckerman Report stated that badgers were a source of TB and culling was necessary. However, gassing in the sett (underground home) with cyanide, then used, was banned as it was thought to be inhumane. Many experts believe that if gassing been allowed for two more years bTB would have been eradicated. Many more badgers have been infected with bTB since gassing stopped, and they suffer a slow, painful and distressing death."”

“Ladybugs why are you so pro? The evidence is against the effectiveness of the cull.”

“that should be 'culling area'”

“Repeat:-
Gloucestershire County Council have 80 farms in the county overall, a very small proportion of which are in the reported culling are.

It really isn't going to make a lot of difference to this cull as it stands at present.

As was stated before it is more of a gesture to the electorate

Who knows what will be happening 4 years down the line.”

“ladybugs, all i am saying is that some council farm tenants simply will do not have the lease that defra wants them to have - you clearly know absolutely nothing about council farm tenancies in Gloucestershire, not that I blame you - it is a little technical.

Which is why it is unseemly for DEFRA as a government department to react in this way to the local authority by raising legal technical issues to falsely imply that council farmers are free to join the cull and that Gloucestershire has no veto.

Without the council's approval some farmers, at least, WOULD NOT be free to join the cull. And while few are in the pilot cull areas MANY are likely to be in any extended cull zone next year, and then Gloucestershire's county farms would make a really BIG difference as there are 80 county farms!

And lets not forget the council is trying at the moment to respond to its electorate as whole - while Defra is being thoroughly cavalier about the views of the electorate.”

“As far as I know Defra has not threatened any authority. This is just a legal statement which will be written into contracts and would be known by the authorities legal department.”

“so..any council lease which was only 5 years to start will will have less than 5 years to run now, and others (usually 10 or 15 years) may well have break clauses within 5 years.

So Defra's threats to Gloucestershire county council are pretty hollow and shows how desperate they are becoming.

The real point though is that these gloustershire councils - all conservative councils - are making a statement on behalf of people who don't want this cull in thier area. And its pretty unbecoming for a government department to attack local authorites who are only trying to respond to their electorate...”