Badger cull to go ahead!?

[Adam Cheeseman]

Here we go then! News out about the proposed badger culls in England.

What I want to know is this.

1. How is it explained when cattle suffer from bovine TB when there are no badger populations present nearby?

2. Why fly in the face of scientific study that states that occurrences of bovine TB actually increase in cattle when badgers have been removed from the immmediate areas. It has also been shown that largescale vaccination works out cheaper than culls. So, if this has already been proven...




Government 'to back badger cull for South West' - BBC News
19 July 2011 Last updated at 08:14
The government is expected to announce it will back a widespread cull of badgers in south-west England.
The coalition has always said it was "minded" to introduce culling to help fight bovine TB.
A similar badger cull was approved in Wales but the decision was overturned in the High Court.
Sources have told BBC West political correspondent Paul Barltrop the two areas where the cull will operate will be in Gloucestershire and Devon.
Campaign organisations remain opposed to the cull and are likely to challenge it in court.

Next steps to tackle bovine TB in England - Defra, Caroline Spelman's announcement at lunchtime today.
Measures to tackle the devastating effect of bovine tuberculosis in England were announced by Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman today.
The Bovine TB Eradication Programme for England sets out a comprehensive and balanced package of measures to tackle TB in cattle, badgers and other animals, including the Government’s view that it is strongly minded to allow a science-led cull of badgers in the worst affected areas.
The Government will work with the farming industry and the veterinary profession to continue to promote good biosecurity and provide advice and support to farmers, as well as investing £20 million over the next five years to develop effective cattle and oral badger vaccines as quickly as possible.
The programme also sets out the proposed way forward on controlling the disease in the badger population, including plans to license groups of farmers and landowners to carry out science-led, strictly controlled culls of badgers in the areas worst affected by TB.

Initial reactions:
Badger cull heads for further consultation By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News
There will be no culling of badgers in England this year to curb cattle tuberculosis, the government has said.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said she was "strongly minded" to allow culling, but details of the methodology will be sent out for consultation.
If that does not raise major obstacles, culling can be piloted next spring, with wider implementation in 2013.
Ministers anticipate a legal challenge, but said that "ducking the issue" was not an option.
The cull proposals form part of a larger package of measures including enhanced testing of cattle herds and more training of farmers on biosecurity.


Cheers,

Adam

[Digit]

TB actually increase in cattle when badgers have been removed from the immmediate areas.

So apply logic and increase the area, simples!

Roy.

[yorkieuk]

How does removing badgers from an area increase tb? Would just like to know. Cheers

[yorkieuk]

I just read a paper that says the incidence of TB in cattle was reduced in areas where badgers were culled. and "Beneficial effects inside culling areas increased in magnitude, and detrimental effects were no longer observed on neighboring lands."

The increase in TB only occured in areas outside on the culling, due to a change in the behaviour of the badgers.

[Digit]

The increase in TB only occured in areas outside on the culling, due to a change in the behaviour of the badgers.

A fact that was established by the Krebs trial some years ago.
One of the problems with people's understanding of BTB is the name.
Bovine! Ipso facto, you get it from cattle, just like you get West Nile Virus from Egypt!
Koch identified three distinct forms, Human, Bovine and Avian, the naming is simply due to the fact that the agent was first discovered in cattle, it has nothing to do with the origins.
So?
So it is generally understood that the genus with the longest exposure to a given disease is that which shows the highest resistance, and both Deer and Badger are more resistant to the disease than are cattle.
Pause for thought I think.

Roy.

[jamesthornton]

The programme also sets out the proposed way forward on controlling the disease in the badger population, including plans to license groups of farmers and landowners to carry out science-led, strictly controlled culls of badgers in the areas worst affected by TB.

This bit stood out to me. Can they trust individuals to cull certain numbers?

[yorkieuk]

I'd like to think the majority of people can be trusted.

[jamesthornton]

I'd like to think so too but this is such a huge issue, I don't know. However much truth is in them I'm not sure, but you do hear a lot of stories about illegal culling. Poisoning by farmers/land-owners who then chuck them on the road seems to be the most common round here.

[Ukwildlifeo]

I think the fact they have allowed farmers to basically choose if they want to cull or not shows this decision was made purely as a rural votes winner.

[Digit]

this decision was made purely as a rural votes winner.

I wouldn't about your neck of the woods but here it was based on not wanting to have to use force to enter the land of those opposed to a cull.

Roy.