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This misguided killing policy will not stop TB

THE CORNISHMAN - LETERS
 
I AM VERY disappointed, as I am sure many of your readers are, that the Government is pressing ahead with the terminally misguided policy of killing badgers in England.
 
I cannot call it a "cull" as the majority of those animals killed are likely to be healthy, as evidenced by a study from 2003 (which found that   80 per cent of those killed were actually free of TB).
 
As it is, the decision to allow farmers to shoot badgers on their own land is disastrous both in terms of welfare and potentially spreading the disease.
 
This slaughter will happen away from the eyes of the public. There will be no way to monitor welfare – and orphaned cubs are liable to be left to die a long and lonely death in setts.
 
Badgers are highly territorial and largely stay in one area. However, killing badgers will cause survivors to travel to new areas.
 
This could have the effect of pushing TB onto farmers' land where no TB currently exists.
 
In fact, this was one of the major concerns voiced by the largest ever study into TB.
 
Ten years of research found that "culling" badgers would have no meaningful impact on the spread of the disease.
 
TB infection in cattle is actually falling in the UK – not going up. Overall, there were 438 fewer total new herd TB incidents in 2009 compared to 2008 – with cases falling in both Wales and the South West of England.
 
How can this devastation of our natural wildlife be justified when TB   infection is falling?
 
This wildlife massacre is not only cruel but it is not needed. Scientists in Dublin have perfected an oral vaccine that is effective in tackling the disease in badgers.
 
This new development stops the vaccine being destroyed by powerful acids in badgers' stomachs, meaning it can be fed to them in bait left outside their setts – with no need to catch and inject them.
 
These scientists have said that this method is the only way to control TB in the badger population long term. This would also be a cost-effective and humane way of getting farmers involved.
 
However, the bottom line is that bovine TB is a disease of cattle – and cattle-to-cattle is undeniably the main vector.
 
Killing badgers whilst ignoring this is akin to fiddling while Rome burns.
 
It is also worth pointing out that the number of cattle killed each year   because of TB is dwarfed by those killed because mastitis, lameness and infertility. Yet we never hear about those.
 
The decision to stamp out British wildlife against the best available scientific opinion smacks of a misplaced allegiance to an industry that can't see the wood for the trees.
 
Please get involved in the campaign to stop Britain's wildlife being used as the scapegoat for poor agricultural policy and political favouritism.
 
Visit www.viva.org.uk/badgers or phone 0117 944 1000
 
JUSTIN KERSWELL 
Viva! campaigns manager

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