Badger cull advised over TB
Monday, 22 Oct 2007 20:28
Badgers should be culled to prevent spread of bovine TB, chief scientific adviser tells government
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The government has been advised by its chief scientist that a cull of badgers should be carried out to prevent the spread of bovine TB.
Sir David King's report is at odds with a previous study carried out for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that said culls were ineffective.
A Defra spokesperson said the department welcomed Sir David's conclusion but emphasised that no policy decisions were imminent.
In his submission to ministers the chief scientific adviser highlights the "clear" link between badgers and TB among cattle, which leads to the death of about 30,000 cows every year.
Sir David says that badgers are responsible for 40 per cent of TB cases in cattle.
"Removal of badgers should take place alongside the continued application of controls on cattle," his report states.
He goes on to write: "Removal of badgers is the best option available at the moment to reduce the reservoir of infection in wildlife.
"But in the longer term, alternative or additional means of controlling TB in badgers, such as vaccination, may become available. Research into these should continue."
The report contradicts the findings of the Independent Scientific Group (ISG), which judged that large scale culls merely forced badgers into nearby areas.
Responding to Sir David's conclusions, a Defra spokesperson commented: "As everyone knows the issue of bovine TB and badgers is an extremely difficult one.
"As is usual in a complex scientific area, ministers asked the chief scientific adviser to the government, Sir David King, for an assessment of the scientific evidence in the ISG on cattle TB report and elsewhere that need to be taken into account in reaching future policy decisions on bovine TB," the representative continued.
"This assessment draws on the evidence produced by the ISG.
"Defra is committed to making evidence-based policy decisions and ministers are continuing to consider a wide range of issues in reaching decisions on this difficult subject. Our aim is to find a way forward which focuses on the best way to tackle bovine TB, addressing both cattle controls and TB in badgers, while also taking account of practicality and wider impacts."