Furore Foreseen as UK Eyes Badger Cull to Stop TB
Date: 28-Feb-07
Country: UK
UK farming minister Jeff Rooker said on Tuesday a decision will be made around May on whether to cull badgers to tackle the spread of bovine tuberculosis but farmers fear he might be about to hand them a poisoned chalice.
"If we don't deal with it, people will think we can't be trusted on disease control in food production animals," Rooker told reporters at the National Farmers Union annual conference.
He indicated a decision will be made around May when an independent scientific group is due to issue its final report to the consequences of a cull.
Badgers are a wildlife host of bovine TB, a disease which has emerged as a serious problem for Britain's livestock producers, particularly in south-west England.
A cull is strongly opposed by wildlife groups such as the Badger Trust and by the animal welfare charity RSPCA.
Rooker said the government itself was not planning to organise a cull but there was existing legislation that allowed farmers to apply for licences.
"We are not looking to do anything that requires any new legislation because that would be fraught with difficulties and would delay everything," he said.
National Farmers Union communications director Anthony Gibson said, however, farmers could not organise a cull without the help of government veterinarians.
"It is quite clear they do have in mind eventually giving farmers the green light to apply for licences," he said.
"Farmers can't design a cull. This could be a trap. We're not going to let them wash their hands of the situation and let farmers do their dirty work," Gibson said.
Gibson noted NFU polling data indicated a cull would only be acceptable to most people if it was government-led.
"The acceptability rating drops like a stone if it is just farmers doing it," Gibson said.
Rooker said he expected a court challenge to any ruling.
"We are fairly confident whichever way we decide to jump we will end up in court," he said.
Rooker said any cull would be limited to TB "hot-spots."
"The idea of some national, even regional cull is a complete no-no. It has got to be localised," he said.
