Farm vets criticise Brian May badger cull documentary
Sir Brian May has long been a vocal campaigner against badger culling.
The British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) has raised concerns that a recent BBC broadcast on bovine TB failed to present the most up-to-date evidence about the role of badgers in spreading the disease.
The documentary, Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me, was broadcast on 23 August. The Queen guitarist and wildlife activist has long campaigned against badger culling as a method to reduce the spread of TB to cattle.
The programme visits several farms, focussing on an investigation on an infected farm in Devon. Large animal veterinary surgeon Dick Sibley worked on the farm alongside farmer Robert Reed, carrying out blood, slurry, and saliva tests and helping to introduce a new hygiene regime.
Based on their findings, the programme suggests that slurry plays a major role in the spread of bovine TB and that improved hygiene and enhanced testing measures could cut transmission without the need for badger culling.
In its statement, BCVA wrote: ‘It is important to recognise that whilst several farms featured in this programme the content was largely based on the results from one farm’s experience and the opinions of one celebrity and one vet.
‘Opinions aren’t facts. Certainly, any suggestion that there is a new, singular, and revolutionary explanation for the reason TB spreads is a stretch.’
BCVA goes on to point out that, although the documentary does references the Krebs report, it fails to refer to more recent studies such as Downs et al. (2019) and Birch et al. (2024) which provide evidence for the effectiveness of badger culling.
The response also claims that there are factual inaccuracies in the programme on topics ranging from the effectiveness of skin tests to the TB-status of culled badgers.
The statement ends: ’TB control requires a multi-tool and individual approach to each farm's unique situation. So, whilst we welcome contributions to the public conversation about this disease, this kind of attention is problematic in terms of the impact it will have on those people who live with the threat of bTB on their farms.
‘The farmers and herds who are suffering with TB month after month can feel alone and helpless – targeted blame or shame could prove devastating. Not to mention the public reaction - who may well be attracted to a much-loved celebrity sharing his personal views which are not backed by evidence.
‘We wish there had been an opportunity to share the science and evidence that the badger culls, along with a range combined strategies, have contributed to the 20 year all time low that we are currently experiencing.’
Criticism of the documentary has also been made by the National Farmers’ Union.
The documentary can be watched here and the BCVA’s full response can be read here.
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With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
