Badger Cull Pilots Announced
Two pilot-scale badger culls will go ahead in 2012 after lobbying from the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA). It is hoped that the cull will reduced the spread of Bovine Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium Bovis), which is carried between herds by badgers. The disease can also jump to humans by the consumption of unpasteurised infected milk.
Two Randomised Badger Culling Trials (RBCTs) sanctioned by DEFRA have demonstrated that a badger cull reduces the frequency of infections in cattle and the information gained as a result of these trials was integral to the decision to cull. Analysis of the RBCT's results indicated that the controlled shooting of badgers within an area reduced Confirmed New Incidents (CNIs) of cattle contracting Bovine Tuberculosis by 31.5% over a period of one year.
The pilot program will also assess the efficacy of the shooting method to determine whether it is sufficiently humane. Secretary of State Caroline Spelman announced today that the trials would begin after the 2012 Olympics.
Responding to the announcement, Carl Padgett, President of the BVA, said:
“This is a major step on the long road to tackling this devastating disease. The BVA and BCVA have always argued that measures to tackle bovine TB must be based on science.
He added: “We know that badger culling does reduce the infection in cattle – this is undisputed science. However, the existing science doesn’t tell us whether controlled shooting can achieve the level of badger removal necessary to reduce the level of infection in cattle. We therefore welcome the announcement of these pilots to determine the efficacy and humaneness of this method.”
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
