Badger cull will continue despite research findings.
Farmers Guardian
12 February 2010
By Alistair Driver
THE Welsh Assembly Government and the Conservative Party have both made it clear they will not be diverted from badger culling policies by the conclusions of the post-RBCTresearch.
The Assembly gave the final go-ahead for badger cull in Wales last month, with an expected late April or early May start date.
The proposed cull area covers 288sq.km (111sq.m) of north Pembrokeshire and small parts of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.
Dr Christianne Glossop, Wales’ chief veterinary officer, said it ‘comes as no surprise’ the report concludes ‘badger culling alone will not provide a long-term solution to the bovine TB problem’.
She denied claims made by the scientists the proposed Welsh cull would use similar methods to those employed in the RBCT.
“We are not repeating the RBCT approach in Wales. What we are proposing is to combine a limited cull of badgers with strict cattle control measures within a defined area over a sustained period.
“Although there are similarities between the RBCT and the pilot area, the differences are so significant to prevent true comparison of the results and we are confident of a much longer-term success rate as a result,” she said.
The Conservatives, who have committed themselves to implementing a badger cull in England if they win the forthcoming General Election, said their views had not been altered by the research.
Shadow Farming Minister, Jim Paice, said: “To get on top of this terrible disease, a careful badger control policy should be sustained until it can be replaced or supplemented by vaccination.”
A Defra spokesman said the Department had asked the Independent Bovine TB Science Advisory Body to undertake additional analysis ‘to help us fully understand this new data and its implications’.
He said Defra had now begun its project to trap and vaccinate badgers in six TB hotspot areas in England.
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http://www.farmersguardian.com/news/livestock/livestock-news/badger-cull-will-continue-despite-research-findings/30299.article
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Posted by: Steve Halliwell
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