It’s about time the badger TB issue is sorted out! Says Phil Hutty, Central Devon’s Lib Dem PPC

By PRSD, on Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Last Tuesday I took myself off to Heathleigh to visit the farmers market. Actually, I have been there several times before, buying ducks for our pond (yep we have a Duck house… paid for by us, I should add!). But this time it was an opportunity to meet with farmers about issues of the day. I was most interested to hear about their views on badgers, said to be causing the TB in cattle which has so devastated many local farms.

The response is almost unanimous, to cull the badgers. A view which, of course, raises all sorts of passions on both sides.

What depressed me though was the fact we are having this debate at all. I understand that it has been well over 15 years since the beginning of this current outbreak, and Devon has had more then its fair share of cattle slaughtered or confined to the farm and yet, we are no closer to a solution.

Trails to eradicate badgers from a test area have proved flawed and inconclusive and my understanding is that we are some years away yet from an effective vaccination for cows. This has left the farmers rightly frustrated as herd after herd is hit and many years of hard work building up a good livestock is wiped away. With those left facing 60 days testing, with one reactor (a positive test for bovine TB) meaning the farm must wait another 6o days before they can even think again about a chance to sell their cattle.

Little wonder then, farmers who, let’s face, it like animals, while understanding the critical part nature plays in the country way of life, have reach the conclusion that a mass cull of badgers is the only way forward.

I keeping asking myself how come when we spent £84 million last year alone in TB controls, have we not found a solution? Other European countries have successfully tackled the outbreak, why not us?

Certainly there is the cost to consider and this appears to be at the root of the reactive rather than proactive approach of this (and past) Governments. But surly whatever the cost, it has to be worth it for the farmers well being, the herds and, of course, wildlife. We need to invest in finding an effective vaccination which can be given to the wildlife (orally, that is – the thought of going around injecting badgers is farcical) together with selective culling of infected badgers. It will be expensive and take time, but in the long term I believe will mean the demise of TB and that has to be worth it.