Culling badgers is not the answer

That figure is no surprise at all given the UK’s continued use of a test first used in 1942, and which is only 85 per cent reliable on average (though some researchers now put it as low as 50 per cent reliable).

At 85 per cent reliable, out of every 100 head of cattle, 15 may go undetected, silently infecting others. The more accurate actiphage test, not yet mandated for use but wisely used in several cases in Wales, is finally picking up reactors which the old test repeatedly failed to spot (through no fault of vets).

By removing previously undetected infected animals from the Welsh herd, Wales will more rapidly drive down disease incidence than killing any amount of badgers or other wildlife. In fact, kill every badger in the UK and the fall in disease incidence will remain 16 per cent on average after nine years – “at best” quoting from the statutory advice given to the then Coalition Government.

Let’s remember that more than 99.5 per cent of all UK cattle are and remain BTb free. Not quite the existential threat the industry trade unions complain about.

We have an enormous national herd, and national flock for that matter. Across the UK, there are more than 9,610,000 cattle (defined as two years old and over, 2017) compared to fewer than 400,000 badgers across the whole of Britain. And in Wales alone, there are 1,137,000 cattle.

So the creative attempt to draw spurious comparison between the numbers of cattle culled and the number of badgers culled is a nonsense – there simply aren’t enough badgers in the country to keep pace with the huge numbers of cattle. So you’re clutching at straws, Mr Hamilton.

Rather than attacking the WAG, Neil should congratulate it for cutting disease incidence by far more than any other part of the UK just by very modest improvements in biosecurity.

Why should the taxpayer continue to pay compensation for a largely predictable disease and one which can only be effectively controlled by biosecurity on farm and across the industry?

Time to scrap the compensation culture and shift to a farmer funded and farmer decided insurance scheme, where pay-outs can be conditional on biosecurity or individual hardship cases. See how often farmers will pay out for neighbours who fail to clean up their businesses – such a shame that the taxpayer isn’t (yet) given that option.

Rosie Wood, Bishop’s Castle

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