A Dark Day for Science and for Wildlife in England

June 1, 2013

Press Release 1st June 2013

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The 1st June marks the start of two Natural England licences to cull badgers in Gloucestershire and West Somerset. Several thousand badgers will be shot at feeding stations in a vain attempt to reduce bovine tb in cattle.

30 eminent scientists have denounced the plan as mindless. These include; Professor John Bourne, former Chair of the Independent Scientific Group on cattle tb, Lord Krebs, the scientist who carried out the Randomised Badger Culling Trial, Dr. Chris Cheeseman, badger expert and former government scientist, and Professor Rosie Woodroffe an ecologist who worked on the Randomised Badger Culling trials and was the only ecologist to sit on the ISG.

Every wildlife and conservation organisation in the country is calling for a halt including the RSPCA and the Wildlife Trusts. Respected naturalists such as Sir David Attenborough, Simon King and Bill Oddie have all spoken out against a cull.

The government and the NFU stand alone with this policy, dubbed ‘crazy’ by the man on whose science they say it is based.

 

“The science has told us, and the scientists continue to tell us, that badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to bovine tb.  Not only that, the present scheme risks making tb worse due to perturbation, when infected badgers roam more widely because their stable territories have been broken down by culling.” says Jo Bates-Keegan MSc, BSc (Hons) – Chair of Lancashire Badger Group.

 

“Lancashire Badger Group is hugely sympathetic to the plight of farmers who have lost cattle and sometimes whole herds to bovine tb. However we are absolutely convinced, as are the vast majority of the wildlife and conservation organisations in the country and indeed scientists in this field, that this badger cull will only be to the detriment of farmers and badgers alike.”

 

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