Member Article

Sign badger petition urges conservation chief

The Wildlife Trusts’ President Emeritus, Simon King OBE, has launched a new e-petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/165672 on the Government website calling for an end to the badger cull and no expansion of the cull to new areas. This week the Government announced that seven new licences for badger culling have been granted, covering parts of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. These areas are in addition to the existing cull areas in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset which are part of a four-year trial cull, as yet incomplete.

Simon King OBE, the new e-petition proposer says: “Any extension of badger culling into new areas should be prevented. The scientific evidence demonstrates that culling is likely to be ineffective in fighting the disease and risks making the problem even worse. The impact of bovine TB is painful, disruptive and distressing to the lives and businesses of farmers - but culling is not the solution and gives farmers’ false hope.”

The Wildlife Trusts oppose the decision by Natural England to grant new licences for culling badgers and call on the Government and the newly appointed Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsom, to overrule and reverse this decision immediately.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is urging everybody in the region to take action against the increase in culling. Steve Lowe, Head of Conservation at the Trust said: “The proposed cull areas are creeping northwards, and, although we haven’t had any reports of TB in this area, we have to take action now to try and stop this culling.

“An expansion of the badger cull to new areas, against the recommendations of scientists and before the completion of a four year trial cull, is surely a bad idea which is why we are urging everybody to log onto (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/165672) and show their support for this iconic British mammal.”

Northumberland Wildlife Trust together with the other 46 wildlife trusts is calling on the Government to take immediate action to:

Reduce cattle-to-cattle transmission of bovine TB - the major cause of infection - by tightening movement controls on cattle even further

Accelerate research into cattle vaccination

Improve testing regimes for cattle

Invest in more research into better techniques for early detection of TB in cattle

Ensure higher standards of biosecurity on farms and link this to cross-compliance for subsidy payments

Secure alternative sources of badger vaccine and speed up the approval process so that suspended vaccination programmes can resume as soon as possible

There is a Westminster Hall debate on badger culling and bovine TB scheduled for 7 September organised by Dr Paul Monaghan MP (SNP).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sue Bishop .