Badger cull is anything but black and white

Posted: December 14th, 2011 | Author: Johann Tasker | 1 Comment »

ANYONE who thinks farmers will be celebrating after receiving the green light for a badger cull to combat bovine tuberculosis should think again.

After a series of false starts, DEFRA secretary Caroline Spelman finally confirmed on Wednesday (14 December) that a badger cull will be piloted in two areas of England next year.

It has been a long time coming. And farm leaders will be keen to avoid sounding triumphalist in the wake of the government announcement.

The issue of badgers and bovine TB is anything but black and white.

It would be wrong to say all farmers are in favour of a badger cull. A minority are not, but even those who favour culling do so as a last resort.

For years, farmers have been forced to look on powerless as cattle herds and livelihoods built up over generations have been lost to the ravages of TB.

Yet the prospect of a cull continues to divide both farmers and conservationists.

This will be the first time badgers have been legally shot in England for decades. And the science behind doing so remains far from conclusive in either direction.

Supporters of a cull argue that it will reduce disease. But opponents disagree, saying it could actually spread TB as diseased badgers flee culling zones.

A badger cull is going to be a “difficult sell” to an often sceptical public and – if handled badly, could easily become a PR disaster for the farming community.

It can only be a matter of time before a newspaper runs a “Killing Fields” headline alongside a photograph of a recently shot badger.

Which makes it all the more important to remember that farmers are not anti-badger, they are anti-TB. And they believe a cull is the least worst option in trying to eradicate the disease.