For the first time in history, badger setts across England sit empty – just when they should be home to new born cubs. Half of the estimated population of Britain’s badgers have been killed by an unscientific, unethical and ineffective policy. The Badger Trust Report “Tackling Bovine TB Together: Towards Sustainable, Scientific and Effective bTB Solutions.” suggests a collaborative way forward on dealing with bTB that would end the destructive and expensive badger cull.
BADGER CULL – THE KEY FACTS
> The badger cull is nowhere near over
> Killing over 210,000 badgers has not contributed to a decline in cattle bTB…read more
> Wales and Scotland do not cull badgers and reduce bTB in cattle more effectively than England...read more
> The first signs of local badger extinctions seen in cull areas…read more
> Cattle measures are the best way to control bTB…read more
> Most English adults oppose the badger cull, yet the government won’t listen…read more
> The government’s bTB eradication policy is not working and wastes taxpayer money on a grand scale
> Solutions to bovine TB should be based on science, cost and animal welfare grounds. The badger cull fails on all of these
The Badger Trust Report “Tackling Bovine TB Together
The Badger Trust Report “Tackling Bovine TB Together: Towards Sustainable, Scientific and Effective bTB Solutions.” suggests a collaborative way forward on dealing with bTB that would end the destructive and expensive badger cull. The report contains clear and evidence-based recommendations for the best way forward in tackling the disease and protecting our natural world. Using evidence from the last 50 years, the report points to a more effective approach on bTB control for England in particular, focusing on cattle, more effective and accurate cattle-testing and vaccination as well as enhanced cattle biosecurity. Cattle-to-cattle transmission is the proven primary method of bTB spread.
The report calls for an immediate end to the distracting, destructive and costly badger cull which simply does not address the root causes of bTB spread in cattle.
Listen to what Chris Packham, David Attenborough and Brian May have to say about the badger cull:
As DEFRA continues to ignore the overwhelming scientific research, the only hope of ending the culls is with a change in Government policy. However, Labour teeter on the brink of a manifesto commitment to end the cull while the Tories talk of continuing it beyond 2025 if there are epidemiological reasons. Whatever happens in the next general election, any change in policy will come too late for well over half England’s badger population – already victims of political expediency. As one of the first Pilot areas back in 2013, Gloucestershire shows the devastating results of long term, systematic slaughter.
Setts once full of bustling life, now lie desolate. The badgers suffering an agonising death by free shooting, before being bagged, gutted and incinerated – nevermore to return to their homes with the coming of the dawn light.
33,627 badgers were slaughtered in 2022. The vast majority were killed by the horrifically cruel method of free shooting. This currently represents 87.95% of the total, as opposed to 48.13% in the first year of the cull.
With all the threats that face badgers, it certainly can seem overwhelming. A programme of senseless mass slaughter by the government; climate change with prolonged droughts interspersed with flooding; loss of habitat through development; RTA’s; logging; crime by farmers, gamekeepers and hunts; horrific ‘old’ crimes like baiting expanding to an online audience. Even Brexit threatens badgers – with the possibility of rushed replacement regulations weakening habitat protection. And a recent study found that badgers’ main source of food –-earthworms – have declined by a third in the last 25 years.
It is overwhelming, but here at GBG the one thing we won’t do – is nothing. We’re here for our badgers. We are a small group but do as much as we can. With your support, we can do more. Please get involved – Join Us or Donate now.
You can also download the Badger Watch app which has been developed as a FREE tool for members of the public and Badger Groups to easily recognise, record and report instances of badger crime when on the move out in the field. This can save crucial time especially when witnessing crime as it occurs. The app is now in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store for you to download.