1st August 2006 updated 18th August 2006

Copyright photo: Badger by Tony Evans Nature Picture Library reproduced with permission from www.stopwaronbadgers.org

The Citizen and Echo carried reports that some farmers are threatening to illegally kill badgers (29 July and 31 July) - but both reports fail to mention that bovine TB is going down without 'culling' badgers (i).

A closer look would show that this follows the belated re-applying of cattle TB controls after these were disrupted by BSE and foot and mouth. New herd incidents and TB reactors slaughtered for January to May are both down on the same period last year by a colossal 20% and 27% respectively. This is in spite of the fact that both the current skin test (and the proposed gamma interferon test) miss the late-stage highly infectious cattle that are the likely cause of repeat cases in problem herds.

PCR 'genetic photocopying' technology would be a quick and comparatively cheap way to tackle problem herds once and for all and be of real benefit to ordinary farmers.

Philip Booth, Stroud District Green party,

See Citizen article on 18th August written by Stroud activist Martin Hancox who appeared on HTV programme last week.

Notes:
(i) See: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/stats/06/may06gb.htm

and Green party's response to Defra.