Badger Cull ?

[Wagstaff]

Yes - I also noticed reports from the BBC news today that the Government is not going to agree to a nationwide badger cull.
As is typical, it's not really evident to what this Government is going to agree, but it means that the farmers will be much more likely to be hiding the evidence of culling. Indeed, since starting this thread, I haven't seen one dumped badger! I guess the perpetrators of these crimes must be monitoring forums like this.
So there needs to be much more vigilance.

Wagstaff

[Paul mabbott]

Anyone get a sense of deja vu?
Bovine Tuberculosis In Wildlife Threatens Endangered Lynx And Cattle Health
Seems in Spain that it's not only badgers that are causing TB in cattle (and thus need culling) but deer, boar, .... most wild animals really .....

[stripee]

Minnesota, USA, have a policy of buying out the cattle from farms to control bovine TB:
http://www.bah.state.mn.us/tb/releas...ase7-24-08.pdf

[Wagstaff]

Bovine TB infection in 52% of wild boar seems very high. Why?... How are all these wild animals being infected?
Saw another dumped badger yesterday. Unfortunately I can't add the image to this post !!

Wagstaff

[Deerhunter]

Originally Posted by Wagstaff

Bovine TB infection in 52% of wild boar seems very high. Why?... How are all these wild animals being infected?
Saw another dumped badger yesterday. Unfortunately I can't add the image to this post !!

Wagstaff

May I ask how you know it was dumped?

[Wagstaff]

Yes, of course you may. Without revealing all to an “honest” farmer, the method is really based on a combination of digital image recording and observation. I appreciate that “observation” isn’t an exact science - our ancestors believed that the Sun went round the Earth, because that is what they observed!! But, in the absence of a post-mortem, this is the best evidence so far.
May I, in turn, ask you two questions:-
1. Are you or have you ever been involved in disposing of badgers?
2. Do you know or have you heard of anyone in your farming community who is actively engaged in disposing of badgers?

Wagstaff

[stripee]

Bovine TB found in endangered Iberian lynx, wild boar, red and fallow deer in Spain. Deer in Minnesota, badgers in the UK plus other mammals.
Where cattle go, disease follows.
Richard Haddock, Devon farmer has admitted killing badgers on his land.

[Deerhunter]

Originally Posted by Wagstaff

Yes, of course you may. Without revealing all to an “honest” farmer, the method is really based on a combination of digital image recording and observation. I appreciate that “observation” isn’t an exact science - our ancestors believed that the Sun went round the Earth, because that is what they observed!! But, in the absence of a post-mortem, this is the best evidence so far.
May I, in turn, ask you two questions:-
1. Are you or have you ever been involved in disposing of badgers?
2. Do you know or have you heard of anyone in your farming community who is actively engaged in disposing of badgers?

Wagstaff

That does not really explain why you think it was dumped as opposed to expiring naturally, being hit with a vehicle or popping its clogs when Father Jack comes around the corner.

But as is usual with me I can give you straight answers.

1. I used to control the number of Badgers on my farm.

2. I am almost sure there are individuals in my farming community who are increasingly killing Badgers. There is not much option. Its not the cull cattle you see, it is the movement bans that are destroying small farms.