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Welsh plans for senseless badger slaughter

WILDLIFE EXTRA
18 March 2011
More than 1,000 badgers could be killed

March 2011: Plans for a government-led badger cull has been announced by Welsh Assembly Minister Elin Jones in the so-called "Intensive Action Area" of West Wales.


'PREPOSTEROUS': Under the new plan 1,000 badgers could
be culled - although other measures to stop bovine TB are
already proving effective. Picture: The Forestry Commission

The Minister tried to introduce similar proposals last year, but was prevented from doing so following a successful legal challenge by the Badger Trust.

The new plans involve an area of 111 square miles of West Wales and could result in the slaughter of 1,000 or more badgers.

The Welsh Assembly Government is once again flying in the face of science, public opinion and economic good sense,' said Mark Jones, programmes director at West Sussex-based wildlife charity Care for the Wild International.

‘This announcement comes at a time when bovine tuberculosis, particularly in West Wales, has significantly decreased on the back of stricter controls on cattle movement and testing introduced in 2008.

‘The cattle controls are working without a single badger being needlessly killed, yet the Assembly is still determined to engage in wildlife slaughter.'

Figures from DEFRA reveal a reduction of about a third of the number of cattle culled to control bovine TB in West Wales since the introduction of stricter cattle measures, and a 35 per cent reduction in the number of herds under movement restrictions. Elin Jones's announcement comes before the publication of the results of last year's public consultation on the proposed slaughter.

‘The announcement is clearly being made for nothing more than political gain,' said Mr Jones. ‘All right-minded people should oppose this preposterous proposal.'

The Independent Scientific Group's report following the ten-year randomised badger culling trial's completion in 2007 concluded;  ‘After careful consideration of all the RBCT and other data presented in this report, including an economic assessment, we conclude that badger culling cannot meaningfully contribute to the future control of cattle TB in Britain.'

 

 

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