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This letter has been sent to the Daily Telegraph in response to a letter which said badger culling is an unnecessary burden on the state.
Sir The letter from Professors Torgerson (Badger culling is an unnecessary burden on the state, The Daily Telegraph, September 8) claiming that controlling bovine TB is waste of money cannot go unchallenged. There are EU regulations and international agreements that require the UK to control Bovine TB (bTB). If we failed to abide by those regulations the UK would face hefty fines from the EU and potential trade restrictions on bovine meat and meat products and dairy products as well as the live animals referred to in the letter. If we stopped controlling the disease in cattle we would allow some cattle to become chronically infected with bTB and this would raise significant animal health and welfare issues. We would also allow an even greater build up of the bTB in the countryside. We are already seeing other species of animal becoming infected with TB such as alpacas, pigs, sheep and domestic pets, because of the level of bTB in the countryside. This is happening despite stringent controls on TB in cattle, so what would happen if we just left this awful disease to spread unabated? While bTB may not be a human health issue now, I think we would increase the risk of it becoming one if we stopped controlling it in cattle. In particular what about the farmers and vets who would have to handle chronically infected animals? The NFU has always advocated a holistic approach to tackling bTB; including both cattle controls and eradication of disease in wildlife. This would go some way to saving both taxpayers’ money and the misery suffered by farming families. As the science community is well aware, there are currently no vaccines available for cattle and scientists do not believe there will be for the next 10-or-so years. There is a trial now taking place to vaccinate badgers which involves trapping and injecting. The notion that this would be a “less costly method” is fanciful. I would respectfully suggest that the professors have got this wrong. NFU head of food and farming Kevin Pearce Agriculture House Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire CV8 2TZ 02476 858686
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