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Police fear vigilantes in 'Big Society badger cull' in the Westcountry

THIS IS CORNWALL
15 April 2011

Action by farmers in bovine TB hotspots in the Westcountry, labelled a "Big Society badger cull" by a Labour shadow minister, could be open to abuse, according to a police assessment.

The National Wildlife Crime Unit, which is helping formulate a culling programme, is worried that vigilante groups without licences to cull would roam the countryside shooting badgers at will.

In its assessment the unit states: "There is a very real danger of illegal badger persecution being carried out under the pretext of culling activity.

"Devon and Cornwall were identified as hotspot areas and there is concern that political acceptance of this method may see farmers managing the problem themselves without obtaining a licence."

The "Big Society badger cull" label came from Labour shadow minister Tessa Jowell, who said the idea of people wandering the countryside carrying shotguns would not be acceptable, particularly in areas which were popular tourist destinations.

She added: "I'm not sure what it does to promote tourism in Britain – or encourage people to visit the countryside."

Nearly 40,000 cattle were destroyed last year as a result of testing positive to bovine TB, and farmers are angry that the Government has not yet announced a cull of badgers, following a lengthy public consultation last autumn and winter.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has delayed a statement on a cull until after the local elections, though an agenda was expected to have been announced in February.

A cull, viewed as virtually a certainty when the Coalition Government was first elected, is now by no means a done deal – with farmers concerned that Mrs Spelman could duck out of a potentially explosive situation.

That would be disastrous for British livestock farming, said South Hams beef producer Richard Haddock, who farms at Kingswear and is the Devon rural affairs spokesman of the Federation of Small Businesses. He said he believed the Government was attempting to play down the risk from the disease, while dithering over ways to tackle it.

"But if you look at what is happening on the ground it is very, very frightening" he said. "The fact is we are looking at an animal health epidemic which could be as severe as BSE."

In the Government's consultation document it was proposed to cull 70 per cent of all badgers in 150-square kilometre control areas, with possibly three of them in the South West at first. Properly trained and supervised groups of farmers would be licensed to cull, by shooting and cage trapping, and there would be a closed season during breeding. Individual licences to cull would last for four years.`

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