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World's eyes on Wales badger cull verdict

NEWS WALES
12/7/2010
The whole world will be watching to see if Wales wins high court permission in Cardiff this week for killing badgers “in the face of public opinion,” says an animal charity leader.

Brian May, who founded the group SAVE ME to promote decent treatment for animals, launched an attack on the Assembly Government proposal for a pilot cull in today’s Guardian.

Writing from court in Cardiff, where the Badger Trust is opposing the cull, May declared, “I am praying the Welsh will not stand for this carnage. And that the world will listen.

“The badgers are a protected species - until the government decides they are a pariah.

“The Elin Jones (Minister for Rural Affairs) proposed culling operation is a "trial". In other words, this is some kind of scientific experiment. If this weren't so serious, that would be a big laugh.

"First, the experiment has already been done, by the Independent Scientific Group, reporting to Defra: 11,000 badgers died in order that scientists could come to a clear conclusion that culling cannot work as a control for bTB. Second, there is no way this can be an experiment.

“The Welsh assembly's package is a mixture of methods - culling, testing, and mostly voluntary controls on the movement of cattle - and there is no control group to show what would have happened if the "experiment" had not been done.

"In fact, there is no evidence that this proposed cull will produce any benefit at all.

“Perhaps this will be what people will look back on as the moment when the tide of cruelty turned - perhaps it will begin in Wales, right here. The JR judges have now declared that they will allow just one week for Welsh assembly ministers to rebuild their case, with session to be resumed on Wednesday 14 July. [*]

"I am praying the Welsh will not stand for this carnage. And that the world will listen.”

Elin Jones said last month, “Bovine TB must be eradicated. It’s blighted our cattle industry for far too long. Our comprehensive approach is based on the scientific evidence which shows that implementing strict cattle controls and culling badgers where necessary will substantially reduce TB in cattle."

The proposed pilot cull will take place in an area where 42% of cattle owners have had at least one case of TB in their herd since 2003. It will be located mainly in north Pembrokeshire, but will also include small areas of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

This area is said to have one of the most serious TB problems in Britain. Between January 2005 and December 2008, 58% of the compensation paid in Wales was paid to farmers in the west Wales region. Within the pilot area, 30% of the herds in the area in the year prior to their TB breakdown had not had any cattle moving into their herds, suggesting that the source of infection was local.

[*] Date now Tues 13 July 2010.

 

 

 

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