Please petition to stop the needless culling of badgers

[truthforsooth]

Good article in today's Examiner about this, by Dick Warner:

End the slaughter of our beautiful badgers | Irish Examiner

He says that 115,000 badgers have been killed by snaring since 1984, as part of the Government programme to eradicate bovine TB.

However, does badger culling work?
I have read evidence that TB is most likely to be spread by infected slurry, as well as the factors that the programme attempts to control such as movement of farm animals.

According to Mr. Warner, "Scotland is now TB free and achieved this without culling badgers. Instead they used stringent testing, strict movement controls and better farming practices — improving drinking troughs and fences and gates. Northern Ireland once had the highest rate of bovine TB in Europe. They’ve copied the Scottish example and already they’ve halved their TB rate without culling."

For what it's worth, there is a petition by the Irish Wildlife Trust asking the Government to change this useless culling.
The link at the end of Mr. Warner's article doesn't work, so here is the correct link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/iris...ing-in-ireland

Thanks.

[Falco]

I would agree that badgers get more then their fair share of blame for this problem - I suspect myself that Wild deer(who's population is exploding!!) are bigger TB vectors, I remember reading years back that Cattle were removed from the Phoenix park due to this problem.

[Riadach]

One study in England has apparently concluded that culling badger exacerbates the problem by spreading infected badgers throughout the country.

[Cruimh]

It is all bollix. Even if the odd badger is found to be positive - who is to say that the badger can spread it and that the badger wasn't given it by cattle or deer or other critturs ? Not forgetting all the dodgy cattle that farmers shift around. The badgers are but whipping boys to cover for poor agricultural and veterinary practice.

[Tea Party Patriot]

It is all bollix. Even if the odd badger is found to be positive - who is to say that the badger can spread it and that the badger wasn't given it by cattle or deer or other critturs ?

100% agreed. As a part-time farmer I can testify that I have not had a positive TB test in 40 years on the family farm and there is no shortage of badgers. Culling badgers is a pointless exercise.

Not forgetting all the dodgy cattle that farmers shift around. The badgers are but whipping boys to cover for poor agricultural and veterinary practice.

On this part you are wrong, farmers shifting around "dodgy cattle" are breaking the law and are only a small minority. Also with modern traceability it is almost impossible to move cattle around without the department finding out. It is not poor veterinary practice either, but the effects that vaccination of cattle against TB might have on the food chain, for this reason they are not vaccinated.

[Prester Jim]

Some farmers seem to care more for blaming something anything than solving the problem and there are some that have a shoot first mentality, witness the red kites...


He (Warner) is a lovely chap by the way, had him round our school recently giving talks and walks to the TYs, they didn't appreciate it as much as I did but enjoyable and great value too, he was a fraction of the price of a lot of the educational consultants we have had to bring in to fill time for the croke park hours.

[Tea Party Patriot]

This part of the petition will not work in Ireland though and for this reason no farmer should sign it, whoever set this up should have just put it about badger culling and left all the other "green" and political stuff out. Official traceable movement of cattle is essential to our beef industry, the cost that this additional testing would impose would be greater than the benefit of eradication:

movement testing and restrictions.

[Falco]

100% agreed. As a part-time farmer I can testify that I have not had a positive TB test in 40 years on the family farm and there is no shortage of badgers. Culling badgers is a pointless exercise.



On this part you are wrong, farmers shifting around "dodgy cattle" are breaking the law and are only a small minority. Also with modern traceability it is almost impossible to move cattle around without the department finding out. It is not poor veterinary practice either, but the effects that vaccination of cattle against TB might have on the food chain, for this reason they are not vaccinated.

What your views on vaccinating wildlife like Deer against TB?? - they reckon this will be the ultimate solution in the UK in the years to come.

[Tea Party Patriot]

Some farmers seem to care more for blaming something anything than solving the problem and there are some that have a shoot first mentality, witness the red kites...


He (Warner) is a lovely chap by the way, had him round our school recently giving talks and walks to the TYs, they didn't appreciate it as much as I did but enjoyable and great value too, he was a fraction of the price of a lot of the educational consultants we have had to bring in to fill time for the croke park hours.

That is a BS thread as there is proof whatsoever that farmers were involved. It is far more likely they died from eating poisoned rats from all the industrial estates in North County Dublin, but don't let that stop you having a rant against farmers.

[Tea Party Patriot]

What your views on vaccinating wildlife like Deer against TB?? - they reckon this will be the ultimate solution in the UK in the years to come.

There are a number of studies being done at the moment, but they are naturally taking a few years to be conclusive.

I will also add it is scientists and not farmers that have claimed the link with badgers and TB. Many farmers are of my opinion that it is tenuous at best.