Badger cull expansion is abandoned

The government has abandoned its planned expansion of badger culling to reduce TB in cattle, according to a BBC report. Let us hope Brian May is delighted.

“The environment department’s original plan was to announce up to 10 new cull areas in South West England each year,” the report states.

“Defra’s own independent assessment shows that culls in two pilot areas were not effective, and raised questions about their humaneness.”

But it wasn’t all good news: “These pilot culls will continue, though there will be no independent oversight to assess their future performance.

“In a Commons statement, the Environment Secretary Owen Paterson proposed a programme of vaccination around the edges of the most badly affected parts of the country.

“This, he said, would create a buffer zone of immunity that would stop the disease from spreading.”

Wasn’t that what the experts wanted in the first place?

The rest of the report is here.

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5 Comments

  1. jaypot2012 April 3, 2014 at 2:11 pm - Reply

    Those poor badgers that got culled :( The money that was wasted, yet again! Those people going out night after night and fighting for the badgers :) Another failed government project…

    The fate of the badgers, indeed wildlife is of great concern to me and I am horrified that “humans” can dole out such cruelty. But that is what I try to help out with. However, I am disgusted that the people of this country could not give as many signatures, people power and concern with their fellow man – for those who are struggling to eat, heat, find a home, for the disabled and the long-term sick, for the unemployed, for the working poor, for slave labour, for the pensioners, for the NHS – for everything that is wrong and has been happening under everyone’s noses since this unelected coalition got into power.

    Shame on you all…

  2. jaypot2012 April 3, 2014 at 2:12 pm - Reply

    Reblogged this on Jay's Journal and commented:
    Shakes head…

  3. beastrabban April 3, 2014 at 4:22 pm - Reply

    Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog.

  4. Timmo April 3, 2014 at 4:40 pm - Reply

    Hurrah! Vaccination IS the way to go. The French eliminated rabies from their country by dropping bait laced with anti-rabies vaccine for foxes and other wild animals to eat. We urgently need to go down a similar route vaccinating both livestock and wild animals which can spread bovine TB, especially badgers. Keeping going on killing sprees won’t ever do the trick and is bloody cruel too.

  5. paul dutton April 3, 2014 at 6:13 pm - Reply

    I agree with, what Timmo said. This is exactly what experts wanted, after all deer seem to be the biggest spreaders of TB with their roaming habits. Take note Conserveratives, just because you dont have the correct answer you cannot just eliminate the problem, bit like the poor and les abled !

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