Owen Paterson did all he could to undermine the Welsh Government badger vaccination programme on both cost and effectiveness grounds. He claimed free shooting of badgers at night would be the most effective and humane way of removing huge numbers of badgers at a much lower cost than trapping and vaccination.
However, we now learn from Freedom of Information requests that the vast majority of badgers killed in both pilots were by Government employed trap teams, with higher costs than the Welsh Government vaccination programme. Bringing us to the key issue of overall costs of the pilot culls and a national rollout programme for badger culling. A UK wide #badgercull could cost taxpayers £800 million, without any meaningful reduction to bovine TB (Set this against the refusal to pay NHS staff even 1% increase in their pay, plus giving themselves a 10% rise). Care for the Wild released a report based on Freedom of information Requests, Parliamentary Questions and leaked documents, an estimated overall cost for the pilots was over £7.3 million or £4,300 for each badger killed. These figures were later backed up by the BBC and police, who confirmed their costs for the culls exceeded £2.5 million alone. Any justification for the disastrous badger cull was blown apart by these huge costs.
It is now widely accepted a 4 year badger cull in Gloucester and Somerset alone would cost approximately £20 million with very little return in reducing the spread of bovine TB.
It is clear to us that killing badgers was never about stopping bovine TB, or effective disease control for the health of cattle or our wildlife or science, it was largely based on a web of deceit and outright lies by spreading deceit and misinformation to MPs, the Media and wider public for political reasons, in a desperate attempt by David Cameron to shore up support for the Tory party in rural communities for pro cull Tory candidates from the National Farmers Union and Countryside Alliance.
It is a national disgrace to realise thousands of innocent badgers lives have been lost, many suffering inhumane deaths, just for David Cameron's political policies for personal gain.
On the fringe, Tory MPs such as Anne Main are calling on David Cameron to accept that the badger cull has no scientific, economic or animal welfare justification and will make no significant contribution to lowering bovine TB.
It is time David Cameron realised the British people are uniquely caring and compassionate towards wildlife and will not allow a protected species such as badgers to be destroyed due to backroom deals with landowning and farming interests that has nothing to do with science, safety, effectiveness, humaneness and true animal welfare.
Its time now for him to dust off his plans for the 'Big Society' and make badger vaccination the key for it. Thousands of people are willing to volunteer to be trained as lay vaccinaters and work with farmers and landowners to vaccinate badgers across the country to reduce the spread of the disease in both badgers and cattle. This will not only prove more popular with voters but it will be the right thing to do for farmers, tax payers and the future of our precious wildlife.
Its time now for him to dust off his plans for the 'Big Society' and make badger vaccination the key for it. Thousands of people are willing to volunteer to be trained as lay vaccinaters and work with farmers and landowners to vaccinate badgers across the country to reduce the spread of the disease in both badgers and cattle. This will not only prove more popular with voters but it will be the right thing to do for farmers, tax payers and the future of our precious wildlife.
Britain is only a small island and would soon loose what little wildlife we have if more care is not taken of it. No one wants to loose our wildlife which is not only indigenous to this country and has as much right to live here as we do, but is also a great source of pleasure to many people.
Wales has reduced bTB by at least 48% by vaccinating badgers instead of killing them, vaccination also benefits the cubs by passing prevention on to them. When most are vaccinated, then 'herd immunity' kicks in, the same as with humans, and virtually wipes out the spread of TB. This would be the same for cows if vaccinated.
Instead of wasting thousands of pounds killing badgers which does not stop bTB in cows, the money should go to perfecting the cattle vaccine. Cows are not that much bigger than humans, surely it is not beyond the bounds of possibility to increase the dose of the BCG vaccine that has successfully worked for humans, and will in ALL animals, as it has with badgers.
In the meantime, we need improved cattle management, bringing in strict controls, as Wales has done, such as:-
* Annual cattle tests plus test prior to movement avoiding disease spread
* Improved biosecurity (hygiene) on farms and in cattle markets, making sure rules upheld
Wales has reduced bTB by at least 48% by vaccinating badgers instead of killing them, vaccination also benefits the cubs by passing prevention on to them. When most are vaccinated, then 'herd immunity' kicks in, the same as with humans, and virtually wipes out the spread of TB. This would be the same for cows if vaccinated.
Instead of wasting thousands of pounds killing badgers which does not stop bTB in cows, the money should go to perfecting the cattle vaccine. Cows are not that much bigger than humans, surely it is not beyond the bounds of possibility to increase the dose of the BCG vaccine that has successfully worked for humans, and will in ALL animals, as it has with badgers.
In the meantime, we need improved cattle management, bringing in strict controls, as Wales has done, such as:-
* Annual cattle tests plus test prior to movement avoiding disease spread
* Improved biosecurity (hygiene) on farms and in cattle markets, making sure rules upheld
* Vaccinate Badgers
* Transportation controls
Using these methods which have proved cost effective, the disease drops rapidly and would carry on dropping year on year. Within a few years the UK could be TB free.
This has works well in Wales and continues to reduce premature cattle slaughter through bTB
Surely it would make sense to do the same in England since killing badgers is proved to be ineffective in stopping the spread of bovine TB, which is after all a bovine disease, hence its name and therefore, must be stopped within the cattle herds themselves.
* Transportation controls
Using these methods which have proved cost effective, the disease drops rapidly and would carry on dropping year on year. Within a few years the UK could be TB free.
This has works well in Wales and continues to reduce premature cattle slaughter through bTB
Surely it would make sense to do the same in England since killing badgers is proved to be ineffective in stopping the spread of bovine TB, which is after all a bovine disease, hence its name and therefore, must be stopped within the cattle herds themselves.
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