Badger Update : ‘Black day’ : Plans for cull pit farmers against animal rights activists
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BRIAN MAY: I woke up in great trepidation thinking that hundreds of thousands of badgers would probably die….
http://www.brianmay.com/brian/briannews/briannewsjul10b.html
Battle lines for a countryside conflict were drawn up yesterday after the Government said it would permit a cull of badgers in a bid to limit the spread of TB in cattle. The Independent reports on a ‘black day’ – this blog writer’s opinion.
Opposition politicians, animal welfare organisations and wildlife groups queued up to criticise the plans, announced by the Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, as inhumane, unscientific and unnecessary, while farmers, landowners and vets welcomed them as essential in the fight against the disease.
The split foreshadows an almost certain legal challenge to the proposals, likely to come into effect next year, and the possibility of violent disorder if attempts are made by animal rights activists and others to prevent a cull.
Subject to successful trials next summer, groups of farmers will be licensed to organise the widespread shooting of badgers across England, Mrs Spelman told the Commons. She said it was clear that badgers were contributing to the spread of TB among cattle and current measures were not checking it.
“This terrible disease saw 25,000 cattle slaughtered last year, has cost taxpayers £500m over the last 10 years in England alone, and if not checked, will cost a billion pounds over the next decade,” she said, commenting that she was “persuaded of the case for culling”.
Under the plans, farmers will be allowed to come together in syndicates to organise culls, at their own expense, over substantial areas of at least 150 squares kilometres, and lasting at least four years. The aim will be to cull at least 70 per cent of the badgers in a given area; the killing will be done by specially trained marksmen with high-powered rifles.
After further discussions on the licensing arrangements over the next few weeks, two pilot schemes next summer will test that the shooting method is effective, humane and safe for the public, and if it is given the go-ahead by an independent panel, widespread culling could begin next year or possibly in 2013.
Mary Creagh, Shadow Environment Secretary, said that the cull was “the wrong way to tackle bovine TB“. She said: “This decision is driven by political expediency rather than sound science. Free shooting of badgers has never been tested and could prove inhumane. The cull will cost farmers more than it saves them, and could spread bovine TB in the short term as badgers move out of cull areas.”
Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, spoke of “a barbaric slaughter of badgers”. The RSPCA said the decision marked “a black day”, and the League Against Cruel Sports said that “all the evidence shows that culls do not work”.
The Humane Society International said it was “appalled” by the decision. “The slaughter of badgers as a means of controlling the spread of tuberculosis in cattle has been overwhelmingly declared ineffective by a host of eminent scientific experts,” said director Mark Jones. “We do not need further government consultations, pilot studies or trials to tell us that slaughtering badgers won’t help.”
Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers’ Union, said: “I join with farmers up and down the country today in breathing an enormous sigh of relief that the Government has shown leadership in tackling this terrible disease. This has never been about eradicating badgers; this is about eradicating disease. Today is a massive step forward.
Related articles
- Badger Update : Spelman fires starting gun on cull (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Badger update : cull to prevent TB in cattle a mistake, says key scientist (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Badger cull to combat bovine TB (mirror.co.uk)
- Farmers’ call for badger cull to be approved by ministers (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Badger cull to start in pilot areas (telegraph.co.uk)
- Badger cull announced by government to counter TB in cattle (mirror.co.uk)
- Government backs cull of badgers (independent.co.uk)
- Government ‘to back badger cull’ (bbc.co.uk)
- Government backs cull of badgers (mirror.co.uk)
- Badger-culling schemes get go-ahead (mirror.co.uk)
Circus ban update : MPs praise ‘Independent’ campaign
Pressure is mounting on the Government to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.
Eleven MPs have signed a Commons motion praising The Independent’s campaign and petition against the practice, which has attracted more than 22,000 signatures.
he MPs warn that the licensing scheme proposed by ministers will fail to protect circus animals. Instead, they urge the Government to use its powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to bring in a regulation banning wild animals in circuses without delay.
The early day motion, tabled by Gavin Shuker, Labour MP for Luton South, has been signed by nine Labour colleagues and Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party.
It accuses ministers of using a “an Austrian court case which does not exist” to argue against a ban. The European Circus Association has threatened to challenge a ban imposed by the Austrian Government but the action has not begun. The motion also questions the use by ministers of the UK’s Human Rights Act as an excuse for not outlawing the use of wild animals.
Further pressure for a rethink came from the Animal Defenders International (ADI) pressure group, which challenged a claim by ministers that a ban would require new legislation. It agreed with the MPs that the practice could be stopped quickly by using the 2006 Act.
Related articles
- Wild animal ban update : Coalition ‘cowardly’ …. (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Circus animal ban latest : Ministers wobble over legal risks! (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Circus ban update : Coalition claim contradicts official advice (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Circus ban update : Ministers under pressure over failure to back the ban! (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Campaign to ban wild circus animals wins huge public support (environmentaleducationuk.wordpress.com)
- Coalition attacked over wild animal circus ban failure (independent.co.uk)
- Guess why the Coalition is afraid to ban circus animals? The Human Rights Act (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
- Coalition claim on circuses contradicts official advice (independent.co.uk)
- Farmer Jim hounded over circus animals (guardian.co.uk)
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