Offence of concealing badgers proposed

[muldonach]

I must be reading it differently to you guys because I certainly do not see any present proposal for a mixture of vaccination and culling.

The document is quite clear in that what is presently proposed is a non-selective cull within the designated area. It also, in my view, clearly states that there will not be a mixture of vaccination and culling.

The Assembly are also taking powers to enter land and vaccinate badgers when and if a vaccine becomes available, since that action would be illegal under present legislation.

Whether you agree with the proposed cull or not it makes sense in terms of legislative efficiency to take the necessary powers in the same bill. It also greatly facilitates trying out a vaccine should it become available.

Regards
mac

[stripee]

Dr Cristianne Glossop has said that vaccination would be used as an "exit strategy" in the 200 km cull area, to vaccinate the remaining badgers after 5 yrs. The Welsh Assembly are not planning any trials of the vaccine.

They will be able to pass just about any legislation they choose no matter how ill conceived. There are 60 Assembly members, it only needs 25 or so people to pass it. They have been lucky in attracting EU money/grants, central government grants, and a DEFRA grant of 27 million to do the cull (leaving DEFRA broke). Maybe the money will start to shrink this year with harder times. The benefit is in increased rural votes, they hope.

The part of the document concerning the vaccine is very thorough about the legal aspects of entering land, warrants against landowners etc, but the first part which is what most people are concerned about ie, the culling doesn't specify that the same will apply to that. Just have to assume it. Far less people object to vaccination programmes, so it seems to be unbalanced.
The cull trials in the South West, and in Ireland did not include compulsory access onto all land. It will be quite a heavy handed aspect of the legislation, and could be used in other circumstances in the future. Also there will be tight conditions about protesting against the cull, with more heavy handedness being lined up with the new offences created.
Whatever people think about the rights and wrongs (or point of taking out badgers in a smallish part of wales, without any other area with stringent controls to compare it with, if it is supposed to be a "scientific" trial) there are some possible civil liberty issues and the badger protection by Europe's Bern Convention seems a bit pointless as well.

[harasseddad]

I wrote to the minister telling her I was cancelling my holiday in Wales because of the cull. I recommend othersw do the same. Tourism is a far larger industry than farming - they should realise that killing wildlife will cost them revenue.

[hobble]

I did that a while ago.........

[stripee]

Originally Posted by hobble

I did that a while ago.........

hobble, harrasseddad and anyone else who feels the same, could contact the National Trust, who are backing the Welsh pilot cull. Having made a big deal of saying they wouldn't allow it on their land.
But strangely on their website they also back the DEFRA announcement re not culling badgers but vaccinating them "because of the scientific evidence".


National Trust | Contact us
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...al_offices.htm
The Conservates have pledged to allow English badger culls when and if they are elected.

[stripee]

Welsh Assembly Government | Intensive Action Pilot Area - Papers

These are all the documents so far relating to the advice given to the Welsh Assembly re the proposed badger cull. Useful for anyone completing the consultation document, or who want to know more about how these things are set up. Especially considering the Lib Dems and Conservatives pledges for England.

Read through quickly, I noticed the maps of badger perturbation record the area where the cull is proposed is shown as high for perturbation (ie yellow). As far as I know the area is between Newport, Pembs across to the River Teifi, Cardigan and down to Abercych or lower down the river. So why chose this area?? If the badgers can escape! Also the non selective cull was chosen by Elin Jones, for no good reason I can see. The other options: selective plus vaccine would cost another £50 a km, and vaccine alone would be cheaper than either (no bodies to dispose of). Vaccination is suggested for the buffer zone around the culling fields. So why not vaccinate all the badgers instead of killing them. Their populations will recover after a temporary dip and so seems a waste of money. And it's going to be horrific and distressing to many people. And to the badgers who after the "closed season" ends 30 April next year will emerge with their cubs to be trapped and shot.
The evidence for a marked improvement in bTB numbers is weak and unproven according to the advice! Anything can be read from the advice depending on who is exerting the pressure it looks like.