WHY WE OPPOSE THE BADGER CULL
It is inhumane
- Shooting of free-running badgers will cause substantial injuries and suffering, leaving many cubs to starve to
death. The RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations are warning of a welfare disaster.
It won't work
- A long-term study by top scientists has already established that badger culling "CAN MAKE NO MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION
TO THE CONTROL OF TB IN CATTLE IN THE UK." The Government's own key advisor Lord Krebs has stated publicly that a
cull "would be a mistake".
- The study showed that 5 out of 6 of badgers culled were not infected. No data on the level of infection has been collected since.
- Culling can actually make matters worse, as infected badgers fleeing from the shooting take the disease with them and spread
it to other areas.
- According to Lord Krebs, culling would only reduce the level of TB in cattle by around 12 - 16 per cent. Although
badgers (and other wildlife) do carry TB and pass it on to cows, cattle-to-cattle transmission is a far more significant factor.
According to opinion polls, the vast majority of the public - in both urban and rural regions - are against
a cull. Bovine TB is a serious problem, but the cruel and indiscriminate slaughter of our much-loved native
animals merely to appease the farming lobby is not the answer.
WHAT WE ARE CALLING FOR INSTEAD
In the short term:
- A badger vaccination programme. Experts - including many farmers - agree that this is the best way forward.
Substantial public funds have already been invested in a vaccine, and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the National
Trust - on its Killerton estate here in Devon - are leading the way with pilot vaccination projects conducted at their own expense.
More generally:
- Properly enforced hygiene measures, accurate testing procedures and stricter controls on cattle movements.
- Investment in higher welfare standards. Stocking densities and milk yields have increased dramatically over the last
30 years. Intensive farming puts dairy cows under enormous stress, leaving them susceptible to disease.
Please add your voice to ours by downloading and signing our petition against the cull. Please also ask others to sign it!