Memorandum submitted by the West Wales
Badger Group (BTB 35)
1. With reference to the telephone conversation
this morning to your office and because we were invited by the
Council of Europe Standing Committee to give our expert advice
at the Bern Convention in 1998 we consider it necessary for us
to write to your committee concerning the plight of the badgers.
SHOULD BADGERS
BE KILLED
TO STOP
BOVINE TB
2. The present ongoing, senseless slaughter
of the European Badger by the Department for Environment Food
and Rural Affairs in the United Kingdom is already taking a heavy
toll on a protected species and causing fragmentation of the species
in areas where badgers have already suffered disturbance and illegal
killing for many years.
3. The Badgers implication by MAFF in bovine
TB was based on the need for a warm-blooded mammal as a suitable
political scapegoat. The objective was to distract farmers from
the problems and costings resulting from this country's entry
in the Common Market, first proposed in 1957 and then finally
entered in 1973 by Britain. Part of the terms of entry into Europe
related to a change in the TB testing of British cattle to a more
critical test. This would inevitably reveal more reactors during
testing of cattle herds. Compensation demanded by farmers and
the NFU on their behalf would be substantial. An explanation was
required for a situation, which would appear to be a major Bovine
TB breakdown.
4. The stated purpose of the official cull
of Badgers is the supposed halt of the escalating disease of Bovine
TB in the National Herd. When the last badger is killed, the problem
of Bovine TB will not be resolved. This is a cattle to cattle
disease. Badgers have a high immunity against TB and if they are
displaying confrontation with the disease in the environment,
they are an indication of the "dirtiness" of that environment.
Confrontation with the disease does not necessarily bring about
infection or result in the individual confronted having a high
immunity, or becoming a reservoir for the disease.
5. The Krebs review presented no new evidence
that Badgers were responsible for the transmission of the disease
of Bovine TB from Badger to cattle. Professor Sir John Krebs FRS
Chairman of the Review Group, was faced with an impossible commission
to produce a Scientific Report regarding an investigation, which
had never been founded on a sound scientific basis nor conducted
scientifically thereafter.
6. Professor John Bourne was also represented
with a similar remit, which in fairness to the gentleman; he was
attempting to approach along strict scientific lines of investigation.
However Professor Bourne was faced with a hopeless situation harassed
by illegal activities in the areas selected for Reactive, Proactive
and No Culling Experiments. Angry farmers frustrated by government
policies and incited by various vociferous individuals to take
their own action against Badgers do not appear to realise they
are victims caught in the same political net as the Badger.
7. It is ironical that the Badger, our oldest
indigenous and most interesting mammal endured centuries of persecution
and cruelty due to ignorance and wild theories based on folk law.
This shy and secretive species, although now protected is pilloried
by ill-informed and plain wicked people who are desperately denigrating
the Badger to serve political ends. Fantasies about Badger population
explosions display an abysmal lack of knowledge of the fascinating
truth of the species reproduction cycle and in-built control of
excessive breeding. Comparisons are drawn between Badgers and
rats demonstrating a total lack of natural history and behavioral
knowledge of both species.
BADGERS ARE
NOT A
HUMAN HEALTH
HAZARD
8. From the time that the Government of
the day first implicated the Badger in Bovine TB the late Dr Norman
Littler, Chest Consultant and TB Physician for North Devon (which
was a Krebs pro-active culling area). Dr Littler, quoted in Hansard,
recording debates in the House of Lords, stated categorically
that contact, even direct, with an infected or infectious Badger
could not constitute a danger to human health.
9. At the present moment vociferous sectional
interests are spreading propaganda concerning the potential risk
of human tuberculosis contacted from Badgers. This is a total
un-scientific nonsense manipulated to frighten general public
and denigrate the Badger. The Krebs Report produced no scientific
evidence against the Badger and merely stated that "Circumstantial
evidence was compelling". This is a non-statement of no value.
CATTLE HUSBANDRY
10. The whole issue is due to the farmer's
bad husbandry. Many herds are so large in quantity that they cannot
be managed by the few farm workers who look after them.
11. Cattle need to be over-wintered in proper
ventilated quarters. It seems ironic that these cattle are the
ones that are subject to TB when the cattle over-wintering in
the fields where there are Badgers do not seem to be prone to
the disease.
12. Cattle are sold or sent to abattoirs
on the first signs of being sick instead of being tested.
13. Farmers have been brainwashed into believing
that the Badger is the problem.
14. Bovine TB is a bovine problem. We should
forget Badgers and concentrate on the Computerized Animal Identification
Scheme for a better herd tracing.
February 2006
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