Letter: Culling badgers is inhumane
About a year ago you were kind enough to publish a letter from us which refuted the claims of MP Owen Paterson that the culling of badgers in Shropshire would reduce the incidence of Bovine Tuberculosis in cattle and that the practice should be extended.
Twelve months on and the government has just announced the extension of the badger culling policy to several new areas in the South-West.
This is despite the overwhelming evidence from many researchers and relevant bodies, that the practice is not effective in achieving its primary aim. It is in fact, a risky, costly and an inhumane tool in the fight against bovine TB.
A study by researchers at Queen Mary College, London, which involved the evaluation of several methods of controlling bovine TB and the assessment of 1.5 million cows , showed that regular testing of cattle was 20 times as effective at halting the spread of the infection than culling badgers. Evidence comes from the fact that in Scotland and Wales, in which testing has become more frequent in recent years, the incidence of TB in cattle has declined. In the UK, where testing has not moved to less than once in four years, the incidence continues to grow.
We would make a plea that the involved ministers re-look at the decision more seriously and look at the real evidence instead of the opinions of a few, rather uninformed persons.
Dr David Gibbon, South Shropshire Green Party
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