Website Content

Jump to footer

THINK AGAIN ABOUT CULLING says Badger Trust

BADGER TRUST
9 June 2011 

The Badger Trust is greatly heartened by the BBC’s bovine TB opinion poll showing up to 68 percent of the respondents were against proposals to kill badgers.

Chairman David Williams said: “This straightforward result ought to tell politicians in England and Wales to think again – and think a lot harder. If they did so it would be unnecessary for the Badger Trust to apply for any more judicial reviews.

“This properly-conducted poll has got to the heart of public opinion on a straight question and is a telling verdict on the propaganda in the overblown consultation documents issued by the Coalition and Welsh Governments. They even advocated the shooting of elusive running badgers at night in the open despite the peril this could inflict on the public.

“Bovine TB is complex and political argument, picking out narrow points to support prejudices about the role of badgers is futile. Yet farming organisations still seek to avoid facing up to the science which says culling can make no meaningful contribution to bovine TB control.

“The Badger Trust hopes the poll result will lead to a more balanced, sensible outcome that’s fair on badgers, the farmers and the general public as well”.

Peter Kendall, President of the National Farmers’ Union was quoted on the BBC website as claiming bovine TB had declined “slightly” between 2009 and 2010. In fact the incidence fell by 15 percent over the last two years without killing badgers. That success was not “slight”, and the Trust hopes the trend will continue year by year.

Across the country 63 percent of the people in the telephone poll by BBC/GfK NOP said badgers should not be killed for cattle TB. The proportion opposed was virtually identical in rural and urban areas (59 and 57 percent respectively). Sixty-eight percent of those living in a mixed rural/urban setting were opposed. There was also a majority in the seriously-affected south west of England, as in every other region, opposed to culling.

Jack Reedy
Badger Trust

 

 

Past News

brianmay.com
Bookmark and Share