Badger cull plan is branded 'cruel' by Leicestershire campaigner
Plans to give cattle farmers the power to kill badgers infected with TB have been opposed by a county campaigner.
Proposals for culling badgers in TB hotspots were unveiled by the Government yesterday, as part of a package of measures to deal with spiralling infection rates of the disease in cattle.
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Badger cull plan is branded 'cruel' by Leicestershire campaigner
However, it is hoped the measures will not be needed in Leicestershire for some time as the spread of the disease here is limited so far.
Farmers have repeatedly called for a cull of badgers, which can carry and spread TB to livestock.
Worst-hit are the South West and Wales.
Pam Mynott, from Oadby, is a director of the Badger Trust, set up to protect the animals.
She said: "We are opposed to culling because it is not only cruel but very expensive and relatively ineffective.
"Better herd management vaccinations should be looked at first.
"Fortunately for Leicestershire, we are very far from being a hotspot.
"They will only allow killing in areas with historically high levels of TB, where hundreds of herds and 14% of badgers are infected.
"For a long time, cattle in Leicestershire were clear of TB. It was only after the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001 that it has gradually returned as farmers restocked their herds with cattle from other areas."
Phil Abbott, of Church Farm, Seckington, on the Leicestershire-Warwickshire border, who is county spokesman for the East Midlands Livestock Board, said: "Badgers and livestock get on happily but the minute you get an infection then the badgers need testing and if found to have TB they want culling.
"Badgers are territorial so if you have a healthy sett they actually deter others from the area.
"But once you get an infection, then the only thing to do is to kill the whole sett."
According to Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures, TB "incidents" were found in 39 of Leicestershire's 1,236 cattle herds, up to June this year.
That compares with 426 in a so-called "TB hotspot" such as Devon.
Alison Pratt, spokeswoman for Leicestershire's National Farmers' Union, said: "The TB problem is not as bad in Leicestershire as other parts of the country but it's still a worry for those farmers whose herds are under restriction.
"If the government does approve this change in legislation, which will allow farmers to apply for licences for the control of badgers, and the situation in Leicestershire does worsen, then farmers will have this in their armoury to enable them to tackle this awful disease.
"It costs the industry and taxpayers hundreds' of millions pounds a year.
"It could take years to get TB under control and eventually eradicate it."
16 Comments
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by sue, leicester
Saturday, September 18 2010, 10:21AM
“well mole i must say with comments like that no wonder britain is in a state you should buy british when you can to support your country.people are quick enough to want to live here for hand outs but dont want to buy our products and as far as farmers being like rich bankers they work hard and long hours not 9 to 5 pen pushing jobs or live off benerfits. as per normal comments from townies that think the country side belongs to them you keep your foxs and other vermin in the towns and see how long it is before you get fed up with them! and if you bothered to take an interest in the farming most farmers have got land put to one side for the wildlife.”
by DJ, Leics
Friday, September 17 2010, 5:06PM
“farmers like to think of themselves as the only people that understand the countryside, but are there actually any wild animals that they like?”
by Peter, Wigston, Leicestershire
Thursday, September 16 2010, 9:39PM
“David from Gt Eastern is, as usual, wrong as well as heartless. The Labour government followed scientific advice in concluding any cull of badgers would be ineffective in controlling bovine TB. It is also morally wrong.
Of course farmers, like rich bankers, like to blame anyone or anything else but themselves, especially those unable to hit back.
And the heartless Con minister for agriculture is, surprise surprise, a farmer!
Perhaps this proposed hunting of badgers will be quickly followed by similarly allowing the hunting of foxes, against the wishes of the mass majority who are not so heartless.”
by Mole74, Leicester
Thursday, September 16 2010, 8:07PM
“Many farmers are greedy and have damaged England's wildlife. We are going to boycott English beef and urge others to do the same. Thousands of like minded people can make a difference, especially if they write to supermarkets, MPs, etc, and tell them what they plan to do.”
by Jon, leics
Thursday, September 16 2010, 3:51PM
“Other countryies innoculate their cattle against TB, they don't have to cull wildlife,
but the uk does not allow it!”
by S Barton, Leicester
Thursday, September 16 2010, 1:29PM
“Culling badgers can actually make the TB problem worse. As the article rightly points out, badgers are territorial. Several generations of the same family group live in a set, some of which have been in use by that group for hundreds of years. If a group are slaughtered then another badger group may expand into the vacated area bringing the disease with them creating the movement of badgers over a wide area. As TB doesn't develop spontaneously they must have caught it from some other animal, presumably cattle. In some countries TB was eradicated in cattle over 50 years ago.”
by sue, leicester
Thursday, September 16 2010, 12:53PM
“so it should be left to the poor farmers again to pay expensive vet bills just so the do gooders dont get upset, if badgers and foxs are so liked by theses people why when they get them in there gardens using them as toilets ect. do they have them removed and let free again in rural areas on farm land where they kill live stock and spread disease. if our country wasnt so soft and didnt let every tom dick and harry enter it then maybe it would be a richer and better country to live. Instead of spending all the time on matters like stopping fox hunting and badger culling the goverment would be better bringing proper punishment to criminals intead of a smack on the wrists. Theses days it seems you can rob and destroy peoples lives but god forbid if you kill a fox or badge.”
by David, Great Easton, Rural Leicestershire.
Thursday, September 16 2010, 12:30PM
“The diseased badger is not as cute as the picture above makes out.
If this matter is to be politicised by some why was it that New Labour didn't address this problem in 13 years yet so fervently and above many things brought about he Hunting with Dogs Act?
If animals are diseased such as cattle with BSE and sheep they are culled without hesitation and rightly so. So why not the badger?!!
This is neither heartless nor despicable but an effort to eradicate a serious problem.”
by Alan5547, leics
Thursday, September 16 2010, 12:26PM
“We dun need no steenkin badges
*credited to the movies Blazing Saddles)”
by Kate M, Coalville
Thursday, September 16 2010, 11:51AM
“Humans spread disease too. New diseases are being bought into this country through tourism & immigration all the time. Shall we start culling tourists & immigrants then?
The human race disgusts me. All animals have a right to life, leave the poor badgers alone. Surely there are better ways to tackle this problem than the farmers' usual favoured route of 'just kill it'?
Anyone who supports this cull should be ashamed of themselves.”