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Badger Trust slams Assembly's revised plans

FARMERS GUARDIAN (print edition)
20 September 2010 | By Barry Alston

The Badger Trust has slammed the Welsh Assembly’ Government’s plans to go ahead with a badger cull as “revisiting a lost cause” – but farming organisations have welcomed the determination to tackle bovine TB in both cattle and wildlife.

According to the trust culling would make no meaningful contribution and could even make the epidemic worse, as well as interfering with the stringent cattle-based measures Welsh farmers are already taking.

“We agree that vaccination could only prevent or reduce infection transmitted by badgers but that said, vaccination has a key advantage,” said a spokesman.

“It avoids the perturbation effect when badger social groups are disrupted by culling and could be helpful alongside cattle-based measures, in particular annual cattle testing.

“For the present the much improved stringent cattle measures in Wales now in force should be allowed to produce results, but it will take many years, and badger culling will lengthen rather than shorten the process.”

NFU Cymru, on the other hand. says the new round of  bovine TB proposals “offers a ray of hope that we will get on top of and eradicate the disease from Wales once and for all.

“Let us be clear, this programme is about eradicating the disease not eradicating badgers," said deputy president Stephen James.

He said he was encouraged the governments in Wales and England now shared a common goal towards bTB eradication through removing the reservoir of infection in both cattle and wildlife.

Farmers Union of Wales bTB spokesman, Brian Walters, said "This announcement is an important step towards addressing the epidemic in north Pembrokeshire."

Shadow Assembly Rural Affairs Minister, Brynie Wiliams, said Wales could not afford to sit back any longer and ignore the threat posed by bovine TB, while the British Veterinary Association and British Cattle Veterinary Association have also supported the fresh commitment to tackling the disease in Wales.

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