Off: Badger cull (was Re: You & CWD)

[Anthony Nelson-Smith]

Wherever there's a problem, kill the obvious suspect without considering the consequences !    Those overseas from the UK might be interested to know that the 'experimental' badger cull re-started yesterday.  Badgers and cows both suffer from tuberculosis.  Farmers and the Agriculture Department interpret this as indicating that the badgers are spreading it to the cows, and are carrying out a massive 'experiment' during which tens of thousands of badgers will be killed over a period of 5 years.  It is claimed that the TB situation at the end of that time will prove that badgers are the problem.  Wildlife enthusiasts point out that TB can be passed from cow to cow and conditions during which cows were cooped up together during the foot-and-mouth epidemic would be ideal for this klind of infection.  Now that re-stocking is permitted, potentially infected cows can be moved over considerable distances and TB is showing up where it never previously occurred.  TB testing should be required before such movements and vaccination is possible, but both are 'too expensive'.  As always, we'll find out much too late that the alternatives are even more expensive (but someone else pays ?).                                                 Tony N-S.