Some rather disturbing news (http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2010/05/21/121358/Minister-confirms-badger-cull-to-combat-bovine-TB.htm) namely that the proposed badger cull, thought by many to be a quirk limited to Wales, has also been promised to English farmers by the new government (along with a possible re-vote on Hunting with Dogs?). This is in spite of all the evidence suggesting that this is not a cost-effective means of dealing with the transmission of Bovine TB (a strange decision when public money is allegedly in short supply) and there already being plans in place for a vaccination programme. Questions have also been raised about the mechanism of the cull in Wales. The animals, after trapping, will be transported to a site where they will be shot. It is argued that shooting is the 'most humane' method of disposal but transporting can be very stressful for a wild mammal.
2 comments:
How strong and reliable is the evidence to link badgers with the spread of TB? Presumable strong enough otherwise the cull would not have been instigated in the first place?
Actually- it's pretty useless. Cattle movements are more likely to be implicated in transmission (you could argue that the cattle give the disease to badgers rather than vice versa). Culling simply causes the animals to move more, a factor that exacerbates the spread of disease.
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