'Science on the side of badger culling'
I AM concerned that the general public are being misled by all the emotional anti-badger cull publicity.
The idea that science is on their side is based on the conclusion made after the badger culling trial that badger culling "cannot meaningfully contribute to TB control".
Some months later when the results could be seen more clearly, the Government chief scientist Sir David King came to the opposite conclusion. Not many people know that the results of the trial were always going to be flawed because many of the badger traps were broken or stolen and badgers released illegally.
If people were given all the facts they would realise why science is on the side of badger culling where there is a need.
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In the early 1970s, when badger culling was first permitted in Great Britain, there were about 6,000 TB reacters in cattle slaughtered annually.
By 1986, that number was reduced right down to 638, an all-time low. TB remained at that very low level until 1992 when it began to rise. Why did it start to rise? That was the year that badger culling was made illegal. It continued to rise until the last 10 years the numbers of TB reacters slaughtered annually have ranged between 24,000 and 38,000.
TB is one of the reasons why many dairy farmers have given up. I'm afraid the anti-badger cull groups have little or no understanding of the emotional and financial strain that TB causes or they would be more sympathetic.
Dairy farmer,
Name and address supplied
Comments
by judiingham
Friday, September 21 2012, 1:54PM
“Can everyone who disagrees with the badger cull please sign the petition at teambadger.org and share, share, share. Thank you.”
by takeabullet4u
Friday, September 21 2012, 12:31PM
“It's strange how the man who actually conducted the isg's study, namely the "krebs report" has denounced the governments decision to go ahead with a badger cul as CRAZY !
This says all i need to know thanks...
http://tinyurl.com/bvjp9rv”
by fischadler
Thursday, September 20 2012, 7:54PM
“The trouble is that science is not on the pro culling side. People are not gullible any more. They read all the facts and in this case they don't believe the government, DEFRA or the farmers.
They know what the government agenda is in all this. A total assault on our wildlife. They have as much as said so wanting to make it easier to cull various species. We on the other do not want this so 90% of the Great British Public are against it so much so that we are signing a petition at a rate of 1000 signatures per hour at the moment. We believe Sir David Attenborough and Simon King OBE not Owen Paterson. Sorry folks you will never persuade me otherwise even with all the Tory backhanders in the world.”
by reactiv8
Thursday, September 20 2012, 7:27PM
“I totally agree with Steve Jones a dairy herdsman of 35 years experience. He has never had a single incidence of BTB in any of his animals, so I reckon he knows what he is talking about, not whoever wrote this.
Also the ISG report (aka 'science' if you like), conclusively came down against blaming Badgers.
End of.”
by wildelycreati
Thursday, September 20 2012, 7:08PM
“How would the Dairy Farmer explain instances of bTB in cattle where there are no badgers. Could farmers increase their bio-security rather than killing either badgers or cattle? Could vaccinations for cattle and badgers be administered instead of killing either badgers or cattle? Is the only reason why cattle aren't vaccinated because the produce can then not be sold into the rest of Europe? I'd genuinely like to know why vaccination of cattle and badgers is a route the government don't want to seem to go down. Especially with the quote from Professor John Bourne that makes me think the cull isn't all about badgers and cattle:
'I think the most interesting observation was made to me by a senior politician who said, "fine John we accept your science, but we have to offer the farmers a carrot. And the only carrot we can possibly give them is culling badgers".'
Professor John Bourne
(Chair of the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) on bTB)”