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Badger Bother

Badger Bother. To cull or not to cull?. Why cull badgers?. Badgers are blamed for spreading the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) disease to dairy cows. . . . by some people. B ovine tuberculosis ( bTB ). What is bovine tuberculosis (bTB)?. Infectious fatal disease.

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Badger Bother

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  1. Badger Bother To cull or not to cull?

  2. Why cull badgers? Badgers are blamed for spreading the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) disease to dairy cows . . . by some people

  3. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) What is bovine tuberculosis (bTB)? • Infectious fatal disease • Caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium Bovis • Affects mammals, including cows, badgers, rats, foxes, deer and people

  4. The disease is fatal to cows Why is bTB a problem? • The milk from infected cows can’t be sold • Cows with the disease have to be killed because people can catch the disease if they drink the milk

  5. How is bTB spread? Cows can catch it from other cows as well as from wildlife such as badgers Badgers can catch it from other badgers as well as from cows

  6. Distribution of badgers and bovine TB in the UK Badgers Cases of cattle TB 2006 – 2010 Badger cull areas Distribution of badgers and TB in the UK West Gloucestershire West Somerset

  7. bTB history Tuberculin testing suspended due to Foot & Mouth disease (FMD)  fuelling a dramatic rise in bovine TB 2001 - 2002 2013 Pilot culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) 1998 - 2007 1960 All cattle in the UK tested & reactors removed 1987 Relaxation of cattle testing, slaughter and movement controls Culling using gassing 1975 - 1981

  8. Pilot cull supported by: • DEFRA (government department • for farming and rural affairs) • NFU (National Farmers’ Union) • To run over four years • Selected areas in Gloucestershire • and Somerset • Free-running badgers to be shot • at night by farmers using rifles • 70% of badger population to be killed • Anticipated 16% fall in TB after 4 years • To go nationwide if ‘successful’

  9. Pilot cull opposed by: • Most leading scientists • (including Professor Krebs who organised • the biggest scientific study into the issue) • Most wildlife societies • and animal protection groups • Most MPs (voted 147 to 28 against in Oct 2012) • They say: • Shooting badgers is cruel • It won’t work • It will cost too much Protesters at Badger Camp in Gloucestershire

  10. Shooting a fleeing badger humanely is not easy . . . at night it’s even more difficult . . . at night it’s even more difficult

  11. The Krebs Trial • Randomised badger culling trial • Key scientific study into whether culling badgers reduces bovine TB • Carried out between 1998 and 2007 - culling for 5 years, and follow-up studies for 4 years • 30 areas of the country selected, each 100 square km in size • 10 culled proactively, 10 reactively (in response to outbreaks), 10 not culled • Badgers culled through being caught in cages and then shot • Incidence of bovine TB measured on farms inside and outside study areas • Reactive culling suspended early after significant rise in infection • More than 11,000 badgers killed

  12. Key conclusions ‘Badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control’ [We] ‘recommend that TB control efforts focus on measures other than culling’ Shooting badgers upsets their family groups, causing surviving animals to move out of the area, spreading TB further afield.

  13. What’s the alternative? • Vaccinate badgers against bTB

  14. 2) Improve testing of cattle and biosecurity

  15. 3) Improve the living conditions and health of cows so they are less likely to become ill

  16. Arguments for the cull 28,000 cattle were slaughtered due to bTB in England in 2012 a 7% increase on 2011 Something has to be done Badgers need to be controlled Badgers are to blame for spreading TB on to cattle The Republic of Ireland has been culling badgers since 2004 and the number of cows with TB has fallen dramatically Culling badgers works At £662 per animal vaccinating badgers costs too much compared to shooting Culling is the most cost effective method way

  17. Arguments against the cull Badgers are being used as a scapegoat by the dairy industry Infected cattle passing the disease onto other cattle is the main cause of the disease spreading to new areas Culling badgers doesn’t work Scientific evidence shows that culling badgers is counter productive The cull method is inhumane Shooting free-running badgers in the dark is cruel and will cause a great deal of animal suffering Cure not kill – culling is the wrong method Vaccinating badgers is the more effective and humane method of controlling bTB

  18. Animal Aid: www.animalaid.org.uk NFU: www.tbfreeengland.co.uk

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