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UK: Assembly accused of ‘staggering incompetence’ over badger cull

BIKYA MASR
Dec 30th, 2010 | By Jonathan Terry

LONDON: Welsh citizens are paying for the mass culling of badgers, local British organizations said earlier this month. It comes as animal rights groups continue to pressure British governments to end the killing of badgers across the United Kingdom.

According to the UK’s pro-vegan and animal rights organization VIVA!, in an act of “staggering incompetence,” the Welsh Assembly is mismanaging a cheaper and better way of controlling TB which would save wildlife and millions of pounds of Welsh taxpayers’ money*. The allegation is made by the animal campaigning group Viva! which has 2,500 supporters across Wales.

In a letter to a Viva! supporter in Ceredigion, the Welsh assembly has now admitted that it has no idea what biosecurity or husbandry measures – if any – Welsh farmers are taking.

“This goes against expert advice that keeping badgers and cattle apart could cut TB rates and would be cheaper than a ‘cull’. Viva! is accusing the Welsh Assembly of wilful incompetence, and ignoring non-lethal measures in an effort to appease farmers who may have to pay more for them,” said VIVA!.

Justin Kerswell, Viva! campaigns manager, says that “Welsh tax payers are likely to be furious that, in times of national austerity, millions of pounds will be wasted on a badger ‘cull’ when other cheaper, cruelty-free methods have been swept under the carpet.

“Poor biosecurity on farms is a vector not just for bovine TB, but for other types of disease as well. The fact that the Welsh Assembly holds no information on how many – if any – farmers have actually implemented improved measures on farms is nothing short of scandalous,” he added.

“This is a gaping black hole in their TB prevention policy and smacks of letting farmers off the hook whilst hammering tax payers at the same time. It is even worse when you think thousands of badgers will be trapped and shot in cages in parts of Wales, despite the fact that a non-lethal part of the puzzle has been staring politicians in the face all along,” Kerswell added.

Adrian Stallwood, Viva! supporter and resident in North Pembrokeshire – where the ‘cull’ in Wales is planned – said “the Welsh Assembly say that better biosecurity will give them better results than previous ineffective culls, and Glossop claims that it is ‘an important aspect’ of a comprehensive approach. It clearly not so important so as to be worth officially recording, let alone enforcing. This shocking admission only confirms what campaigners in Pembrokeshire have said all along – these measures are voluntary, subjective, and will not be effectively implemented or monitored.

“This laissez-faire approach to sloppy farming practice contrasts sharply with the official fanaticism to kill badgers whatever the cost. And whilst farmers can take or leave advice as they please, ordinary citizens will be criminalized if they refuse to allow the killing on their land. Once again, it’s clear who pulls the strings of the pro-cull politicians in Wales.”

Viva! is encouraging people in Wales to object to the Welsh Assembly’s public consultation on badger ‘culling’. The group has printed tens of thousands of objection postcards, which have been distributed across the country.

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