The facts behind the badger cull

“@Countrylad

I think you would need a febrile imagination to include Sir David Attenborough and Simon King OBE as protagonists in your imagined "class war". Cattle are being slaughtered every day, either for profit or because they are lame or infirm. Cattle are also being slaughtered due to cattle to cattle transmission of TB and some of course due to Badgers. The evidence however does not support Badger culling as a solution

What evidence have you that 'Hunt Sabs' have taken this over? If your looking for conspiracy theories consider the Gloucestershire farmer who sits as an NFU representative on the DEFRAS Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England (TBEAG). He helps as part of that group advise the government; and is also a director of Gloscon the contractor engaged in culling the badgers. Most would call that a conflict of interest.

You go on to say "It is about a group of Activists who are against anything in the Countryside." That is the irony:

Both Sir David Attenborough and Simon King OBE have pointed out that wildlife filmmakers in this country have spent the last six decades trying to inspire and promote understanding and respect for wildlife both nationally and internationally. They ask: "How can we now expect any other nation, especially a poor developing country, to conserve its wildlife whenever there is a conflict with short-term economic and political interests?"”

“As we all know this is not about the Badgers at all,It is about a group of Activists who are against anything in the Countryside,
The situation is becoming a class war, and the Badgers are being forgotten, let alone the cattle who are being slaughtered each day
The sooner the cull takes place the better and those who get in the way arrested,
The Hunt Sabs who have taken this over are just out to cause trouble you only need to look at the rubbish and threats being made on websites, they have named Farmers Businesses,”

“I thought the debate was about the needless slaughter of our badgets, not the farmers' choice of vehicle...”

“1 regularly spouted misconception:
Farmers NEED 4x4s to be able to drive across their land and tend to their livestock in all weathers, and also often tow people who have car accidents nearby. This is what 4x4 vehicles are meant for. If we are to criticise, we should take a look at those who live in the town and don't need these types of vehicle, yet have them anyway.
Also, many farmers have new landrovers because they can buy them on hire purchase, unlike second hand cars which they would lack the lump sum to buy.”

“The end of the article betrays the real 'giveaway/ behind these so called facts when it states in brackets "Figures come from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs."

In other words the above is little more than an NFU/Defra press release.”

“"Beneficial effects as the result of controlled culling would start to be seen in around three years."

The headline said "The FACTS behind the badger cull". The above certainly not a fact.”

“I also have some facts, total number of cattle culled due to btb 2008, 39,973 (Another commenter who is often on here, can confirm)

Total no. of cattle slaughtered 2011, approx 26,000 in connection to BTB

How many thousands spent and resources, wasted of police time, to protect impoverished, intimidated farmers. I dread to think.

I saw first hand today, the only people that felt intimidated where myself, my partner and my dogs. In a 4 square mile section of your beautiful gloucestershire, we saw, around 7 police cars inc, patrol, 4x4 patrol, unmarked, and police helicopter. Impoverished farmers, not today. Well off, intimidating farmers, all in landrovers 4x4, v8 range rovers, camera equipment, not to mention the filthy look on their faces as you drive past. And I did, several times, because I was looking for the mighty numbers of lawful protesters, they must be here somewhere, what with the helicopter and all those police cars. I think, I can't be sure, we think we saw one. Footpath signs ripped off, lanes blocked, convoys, all farmers own doing as far as I could see. Its amazing just how intimidating all this can be, you'll have to find that out for yourselves. I have only got home, from a approx 500 round miles trip, but it was worth it, to see it for myself and I am disgusted.

But, I have never driven through Gloucestershire before, we took our dogs to the stunning forest of dean, and it really, really, saddened me, that in a matter of days, the vision of beauty I was seeing, would be tarnished and changed forever.

I know my maths is week but it looks to me like there has been approx. 13,973 LESS cattle slaughtered due to BTB in 2011 Both these BTB incidences are total, no breakdowns are provided. So back to square one again.

What I would like to see is the bigger picture, How many cattle culled in total in 2011, in relation to: Mastitis, cows not in calf, lameness, died on farm, age, other, udder conformation, calving injury, accident, bovine btb, metabolic disorder, abortion and infectious disease. These culling incidences are in the exact order, starting highest to lowest, as they appeared in a 2008 defra cattle report - fact

I read part of this cull is going to involve trapping and shooting. Well if such a big part of your argument farmers, is the difficulty in trapping badgers to vaccinate them. Whats the difference, please. How much are your rifles and bullets. How much for badger bcg vaccine? £20, per badger, that is what I am being charged.

These intimidating protesters, if you mean the few, who have been in and around these cull zones, working hands on, physically working towards saving healthy animals, with no gratitude and no doubt, next to no funds, completly voluntary and according to the law, If you mean these people, then everyone including me should be ashamed of the little we have done to try and save our badgers, We can all shout the loudest. You don't have to protest either, all we have to do, is stop wasting our time on here and go out and help vaccinate our badgers now. If you saw, what I saw to-day, you would not be hesitating!

Again, I am part of no group, my reason for to-day, the excursion, curiosity, what is the truth and to show these hands on people, support from an average normal member of the british public”

“And acccording to the best scientific advice available (eg the 30 professors who know much more about bTB, cattle, badgers and disease control than CitizenMike and I do), the badger cull could easily increase the spread of bTB and is most unlikely to achieve any reduction in the disease.

At the same time, TIGHTER CATTLE CONTROLS are already achieving bTB reduction results in the 6 months they've been running that are twice as good as those the badger cull HOPES to achieve.”

“Well TiG that's an objective portrayal of the "facts". For those wanting the scientific facts I suggest the précis I recently added to the forum section. The added cost of the cull is simply wasted money on the basis of the scientific evidence that it will not work.”