Post by Dave on Sept 24, 2012 18:24:53 GMT
The government has just licensed the killing of badgers in parts of Gloucestershire and Somerset as it claims it will help rid cattle of bovine tuberculosis in British dairy herds, but it will not work and should not be allowed to go ahead.
Did you know that in 1996, a policy of identification and slaughter of the cattle effected, had reduced the incidence of bovine TB in dairy herds in England and Wales to less than half a per cent, and the risk of direct transmission to humans has with the pasteurisation of milk – long ago become negligible
26.000 cattle are put down each year suffering from bovine tuberculosis in British and the aim of the cull is to wipe out over 70% of the badger population. It is hoped by doing this there will be up to a 16% reduction in cattle getting bovine tuberculosis. Even if that figure was reached and its highly unlikely, there will still be 22.000 cattle getting bovine tuberculosis. Is that small reduction worth wiping out over 70% of the badger population for?
The last and most systematic examination of the link between badgers and bovine TB found that, indeed, there was transmission, and proposed a series of systematic, randomised controlled trials over a sustained period to see whether culling could provide an answer. In 2003, the government, farmers, public health officers and wildlife campaigners got the answer: shooting and gassing did not eliminate, and could possibly spread, the disease. That may be because badgers disturbed in one area could migrate, taking the infection with them. The answer, delivered by Lord Krebs and the distinguished statisticians and zoologists who examined the results, could hardly be clearer: killing will not solve the problem.
Who are we anyway to start killing off the wildlife of this country, there has to be a better way to solve this problem and that answer is working harder to find a vaccination that can be given to cattle to prevent them getting bovine tuberculosis in the first place.
The police have already warned of clashes between protesters and armed farmers as more than 57,000 people signed an e-petition to stop the cull. There are even calls not to buy milk from supermarkets who get their milk from the farmers involved with the cull.
Lets find that better way and leave our badgers in peace, I heard one farmer on the radio today it would be good for the health of the dairy cows and the badgers. Try telling that to baby badgers waiting for their mum who is free of TB to come back home with some food, only to discover she is not coming back as she was shot for no good reason that can be proved.
Did you know that in 1996, a policy of identification and slaughter of the cattle effected, had reduced the incidence of bovine TB in dairy herds in England and Wales to less than half a per cent, and the risk of direct transmission to humans has with the pasteurisation of milk – long ago become negligible
26.000 cattle are put down each year suffering from bovine tuberculosis in British and the aim of the cull is to wipe out over 70% of the badger population. It is hoped by doing this there will be up to a 16% reduction in cattle getting bovine tuberculosis. Even if that figure was reached and its highly unlikely, there will still be 22.000 cattle getting bovine tuberculosis. Is that small reduction worth wiping out over 70% of the badger population for?
The last and most systematic examination of the link between badgers and bovine TB found that, indeed, there was transmission, and proposed a series of systematic, randomised controlled trials over a sustained period to see whether culling could provide an answer. In 2003, the government, farmers, public health officers and wildlife campaigners got the answer: shooting and gassing did not eliminate, and could possibly spread, the disease. That may be because badgers disturbed in one area could migrate, taking the infection with them. The answer, delivered by Lord Krebs and the distinguished statisticians and zoologists who examined the results, could hardly be clearer: killing will not solve the problem.
Who are we anyway to start killing off the wildlife of this country, there has to be a better way to solve this problem and that answer is working harder to find a vaccination that can be given to cattle to prevent them getting bovine tuberculosis in the first place.
The police have already warned of clashes between protesters and armed farmers as more than 57,000 people signed an e-petition to stop the cull. There are even calls not to buy milk from supermarkets who get their milk from the farmers involved with the cull.
Lets find that better way and leave our badgers in peace, I heard one farmer on the radio today it would be good for the health of the dairy cows and the badgers. Try telling that to baby badgers waiting for their mum who is free of TB to come back home with some food, only to discover she is not coming back as she was shot for no good reason that can be proved.