Badgers North Fife

It saddens me to hear of any abrupt and untimely death, in this case of Badgers. Two counties in England are about to embark on a 9 year trial of killing Badgers 70% of them in the vain hope it will protect Cattle from Bovine Tuberculosis. Who knows how many Badgers there are anyway. Estimates suggest that culling badgers in areas where bovine TB is prevalent could reduce the number of new cases of TB in herds by 16% over 9 years, said Defra. Some people just love to kill, if the corpses were eaten it would be better understood, maybe badgerburgers will catch on. Several scientists, including government advisers, say culling alone will not solve the problem. The NFU and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) argue that even if culling delivers only a modest benefit, it is better than nothing. The Badger Trust, which failed in a legal bid to stop the culls, says vaccination is the way forward. "With every passing week the Government's claims that the cull is science led are shown up for what they are - a sham," it said. "It's time they were abandoned. Vaccination of badgers will make an important contribution. But the long-term solution has to be a cattle vaccine." Evidence suggests some wild badgers can become infected with the bacteria that causes bovine TB and pass it on to cattle. More

Badger North Fife, Badgers in Scotland are found to be TB free yet word has got round and the Badgers are taking matters into their own hands. In the meantime I and many others lament at the attitudes of our government.