THE Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) is supporting an online petition initiated by The Wildlife Trusts’ President Emeritus, Simon King OBE, calling for the withdrawal of Government licenses to cull badgers, particularly in Dorset.
This follows the recent announcement that further culls have been given the go ahead in parts of Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.
The trust says that badger culling is a deeply flawed method for controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis disease in cattle.
The charity, which has its own herd of cattle in West Dorset, believes that alternative methods, such as badger vaccination in the short-term, implementing effective bio-security on farms, and in the long-term vaccinating cattle, are more viable alternatives to culling badgers.
DWT Chief Executive, Dr Simon Cripps said: “As owners of livestock ourselves, we have every sympathy with farmers who lose cattle as a result of bovine tuberculosis, however culling badgers is not the way to solve this problem and the Government know it.
“Dorset’s wildlife and our county’s farmers are both too important for Government to be issuing this wrong and ill-conceived advice, and so deserve better. Not only is the Government not giving advice based on sound, credible science, they are building up expectations that this could succeed and causing serious divisions within communities.”
Dr Cripp continued: “Through the petition we are calling on the Government to stick to evidence-based decisions, to stop wasting public money on something that performs no public service, and to give genuine support to the farming industry and wildlife by implementing a cattle vaccine and associated trade agreements just as other countries have done. There is overwhelming support from rural and urban communities for stopping this cull and the bad advice that needlessly perpetuates it.”
However, Farming minister George Eustice has said the cull is delivering results.
He said: “Our comprehensive strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England is delivering results, with more than half the country on track to be free of the disease by the end of this parliament.
“Bovine TB has a devastating impact on farms, which is why we are taking strong action to eradicate this disease, including tighter cattle controls, improved biosecurity and badger control measures in areas where the disease is rife.
“The veterinary advice and the experience of other countries is clear – we will not be able to eradicate this disease unless we also tackle the reservoir of the disease in the badger population as well as cattle.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reports that bovine TB costs taxpayers £100million every year and England has the highest incidence of the disease in Europe.
It states that in 2015 alone, more than 28,000 cattle had to be slaughtered in England to control the disease, causing devastation and distress for farmers and rural communities.
Nigel Gibbens, the UK’s chief veterinary officer, said: “Action to prevent infection of cattle from significant reservoirs of TB infection in local badger populations is an essential part of the government’s 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine TB in England.
“Proactive badger control is currently the best available option and the licensing of further areas is necessary to realise disease control benefits at regional rather than at local levels.”
To sign the petition visit https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/165672.
