Badgers and Cattle Culls

[pda15]

Hi Joules

Yes a pretty desperate situation for many farmers. I certainly have a lot of sympathy and of course a huge vested interest as someone who eats meat and drinks milk. I do strongly agree with the results of the RBCT that a cull would do nothing whatsoever to alleviate the situation and might make it worse. I was horrified to think of public money being wasted in this way and although the new proposals for England now push the cost onto the farmers I still feel that this is a pointless activity that will probably make things far worse in the long run.
It seems to me (and no doubt many will disagree) that lessons could be learned from countries without bTB. Scotland achieved bTB free status without a cull but by introducing and enforcing strict regulations on testing and biosecurity. Perhaps England and Wales should take a close look at how it was done before they rush into action.

[JoulesH]

Fully agree that herd biosecurity and cattle movement and testing are key but they are never going to control this disease on their own. Fully agree some farmers idiots restocking after FMD in Cumbria with cattle from TB hotspots in SW. We ourselves run a closed herd. However, just I thought the original post was just a bit daft - what do folks think that cattle die of (or, in the larger % of cases, are culled for, under a 'managed exit strategy' after suffering from ill health)? These 3 major reasons for culling are the main focus of nearly every cattle farmer's efforts - mastitis less so for beef herds. If you have livestock, you have deadstock - had the vet here this morning to see what was last night a strong 3 wk old bull calf but this morning didn't want to get up -was with the vet as he put it down, it was in toxic shock from a gut infection.

[GavinWheeler]

I don't think the original post was daft, although anyone from a farming background might well be surprised that others don't necessarily realise the realities of raising livestock for food rather than as pets.

The chart I posted earlier (not mine, it was done by a guy from the badger trust) suggests that TB is something like number 10 on the list of causes of death (in dairy herds.) Although it is debatable how many of the first 9 are something we could expect to be able to reduce. 'Old age', for example, remains a stubborn bunny to cure or prevent!

Cattle vaccination seems to be the thing that would really take the pressure off farmers - I still feel it should be possible to close the gap between a cattle vaccine (+ test) being licensed in ~2012 and us being allowed to use them by EU law in ~2015.