Supplementary memorandum submitted by
Martin Hancox
One very simple, BUT ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL QUERY
to raise as regards the Defra Science and your recent bovine TB
report. Professor King and the ISG disagree on whether the effect
of badger culls and perturbation is transient or not (Ev 120).
It states that although culls ended in 2005, Prof C Donnelly and
the ex-ISG are continuing to monitor cattle TB both inside and
outside the proactive cull areas.
Since all areas were prioritised for intensive annual
testing when dealing with the backlog of herd tests in 2002 after
foot and mouth, it would be very surprising if there has not been
a dramatic drop in TB in ALL 30 triplet areas (including
the no cull ones). Cattle measures "work", exactly as
they did in nearly eradicating TB in GB by the early 1970s, without
any badger culling. It is hard to see why any cull is needed now.
Incidentally Ulster nearly eradicated cattle TB likewise with
a low of 174 reactors in 1971. But a premature switch to
three yearly testing let it explode back out of control. Badgers
have always been regarded as an irrelevant spillover host for
TB caught from cattle, and not culled.
Producers of greentop unpasteurised milk were
also prioritised for annual testing in 2002. It is madness to
propose a new fashion for greentop milk, since in some areas 1 in
4 herds have TB and sooner or later TB will slip past public
health safeguards.
April 2008
April 2008
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