The NFU has said today’s decision from Defra to commit to two pilot areas for badger controls as part of its plan to tackle bovine TB is the right way forward.
NFU President Peter Kendall expressed his relief on behalf of the farming industry after Defra Secretary of State Caroline Spelman said today that she had listened to all of the evidence put before her during the lengthy consultation into a government-led TB Eradication Programme. And she had now concluded that a carefully managed and science-led policy of badger controls would be introduced.
Mr Kendall said: “Today is another massive step forward in achieving our end goal of a healthy countryside – both for badgers and for cattle. I commend Defra for introducing these two pilot areas to confirm the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of controlled shooting. We must tackle this terrible disease, a disease that sees tens of thousands of cattle destroyed each and every year. The most recent science shows badger controls are absolutely necessary, together with cattle controls, to get on top of TB. No other country in the world has successfully tackled this devastating disease without first addressing the reservoir of TB in the wildlife
“However, I want to remind everyone this has never been about eradicating badgers; this is about eradicating disease. And there are some serious challenges ahead. But we take this issue extremely seriously and we remain committed to working with Defra and Natural England to deliver an effective TB control plan. This has never been and will not be a quick fix and we’re fully prepared for that.
“Controlling TB in the areas that have high and persistent disease levels will help to save cattle and reduce the risk of TB in other areas of the country that are currently without TB. That has to be in everyone’s best interests.”
NFU Cheshire County Chairman, Rob Ford, said: “Farmers living with the disease in Cheshire will welcome this decision and feel that it is the right one if we are to stop the disease become endemic right across the county. We have seen an extension of the annual testing requirement to more of Cheshire which should enhance cattle surveillance. This is not something that the industry has approached lightly. Unfortunately the scientific evidence shows that culling will lead to a reduction in the disease where it is managed in a careful way. Without coordinated cattle and wildlife controls we would see the incidence of TB in Cheshire rise to the levels found in the South West and the West Midlands. The overall aim of any TB control policy must be to have both cattle and wildlife populations free from TB.”
Commenting on the announcement, NFU Cumbria County Chairman, Robert Craig, stressed that preventing the spread of TB was vital to the county’s cattle farmers. “Cumbria remains a low incidence area but recent outbreaks have shown that it is as much an issue for Cumbrian farmers as it is for those in the South West and West Midlands” said Mr Craig.
“This is not something that the industry has approached lightly. However, the scientific evidence shows that culling will lead to a reduction in the disease where it is managed in a careful way. As a low incidence area we will not see a cull of wildlife taking place which is right given the fact that our wildlife is not infected. However, without coordinated cattle and wildlife controls we would undoubtedly see an increase in the incidence of the disease in the county. Farmers in low incidence areas need to take action to make sure that they do not bring the disease into the area through robust biosecurity measures and cattle testing. A combined approach which tackles cattle to cattle transmission as well as wildlife to cattle transmission, where wildlife is implicated, is what‘s needed to make sure that the county’s cattle and wildlife remain free from TB. The overall aim of any TB control policy must be to have both cattle and wildlife populations free from TB”
Commenting on the announcement, NFU Lancashire County Chairman, Graham Young said: “Lancashire is extremely lucky that at the moment we are relatively free from bovine TB. This decision is a vital step in making sure that it remains that way.”
“The scientific evidence shows that the only way to eradicate the disease is through an approach which tackles both cattle to cattle transmission and the reservoir of infection in the wildlife which will re-infect cattle herds. As a low incidence area we will not see a cull of wildlife taking place which is right given the fact that our wildlife is not infected. In Lancashire we need to focus on keeping our own herds free from TB through thorough testing of cattle and robust bio-security measures. It is only through a combination of wildlife controls and the current cattle measures that we will eradicate this disease. The overall aim of any TB control policy must be to have both cattle and wildlife populations free from TB”
NFU North West’s regional chairman, Thomas Binns, added: “The decision should be seen as the first step in delivering a healthy cattle population living alongside a healthy badger population which has always been the NFU’s long term aim. We appreciate that this decision will not be seen as a popular one with some sections of the public and it has not been taken lightly. However, if we are to eradicate the scourge of TB then we must address all vectors of disease transmission, both within the cattle and the wildlife populations.”
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