Farmers tell MP of 'incredible stress' over badgers 'killing' cattle
An MP said he will press for government research into vaccines for cattle after farmers told of badgers "killing" their livestock.
Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski was at Minsterley Show on Saturday and said farmers told of their "incredible stress" over cattle contracting tuberculosis from badgers.
More than 4,300 badgers were killed in the autumn cull of 2021, with more than 3,600 shot and 652 cage-trapped.
The issue has seen animal campaigners and farmers lock horns over the years. Activists insist badgers should not be culled and more should be done to discover a vaccine to combat bovine TB, while farmers want to do everything they can to protect their livestock.
Mr Kawczynski said: "The Minsterley Show provided a brilliant opportunity for me to talk to local farmers about issues directly affecting them.
"I was particularly concerned by my conversation with a local farming family from Pontesbury who spoke of regulation stopping him from culling badgers who were killing his cattle. He spoke of the incredible stress this has caused him.
"I will continue to raise multiple questions throughout the year, pressing for new government research on both vaccines for cattle and other testing methods that are more reliable."
Peter Hambly, CEO of the Badger Trust said after the cull last year: "We fundamentally challenge the need to kill badgers when the science consistently fails to pinpoint them as a significant factor in transmission of this terrible disease in cattle.
"The government would do well to put more time and effort into more effective and rigorous cattle testing, bringing a cattle vaccine to market and focusing on other effective cattle measures, once and for all dealing with this terrible problem for animals, farmers and taxpayers alike.
"The present policy of focusing on the badger ignores the science, is inhumane and unethical, and wastes taxpayer money at a time of tight family budgets. If the government truly wants to eradicate bovine TB, focus on the cattle, not the badger."
