UK government looks to extend bTB badger cull
The cull in Gloucestershire was part of a two-zone cull to control the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) between cattle and badgers. According to the government, the two six-week pilot culls were carried out to see if killing badgers by trained marksmen was humane and safe.
Since less than half (30%) of the government’s cull target (70%) was reached, the UK’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has called on National England to consider extending the cull in Gloucestershire by a further eight weeks. As a result, Natural England is now considering an application to extend the cull in Gloucestershire.
Defra Secretary of State Owen Paterson said: “In view of this [cull figure], the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) has advised that the period of culling this year should be extended to achieve the earliest and greatest possible impact on bTB (bovine TB) in Gloucestershire.”
However, he explained that “early indications” were that the pilots were safe and humane. Yet, he added: “Nevertheless, the Gloucestershire pilot has again demonstrated that the cull period may need to be longer than six weeks in future, enabling teams to adapt their approaches to suit local circumstances.”
Meanwhile, critics of the cull have claimed that the extension is not necessary and RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said: “The government is making a mockery of scientific opinion and their own targets by continuing with this cull – it is a complete shambles. Badgers are dying in their hundreds and it is likely that bovine TB in cattle in these areas is being made worse not better.”
Grant called for an immediate stop to the “fiasco” before more animals’ lives were lost and claimed the disease would spread further if more culls were carried out.
Yet Paterson said good progress was being made on all aspects of the government’s bTB eradication programme, launched earlier in the year and aiming to rid the country of the disease in the next 25 years.
