TRUST DISMAYED TO LEARN BADGER CULL PILOT TO TAKE PLACE IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Friday 20th January 2012

Badger (c) WildstockBadger (c) Wildstock

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has today learned that west Gloucestershire has been identified as one of two badger cull pilot areas to be trialled later this year.

“We are dismayed that Defra has made this decision.” Says Trust Chief Executive Dr. Gordon McGlone OBE. “We have been asked by local landowners and farmers for more information about how they can vaccinate badgers on their land as they do not believe that the cull is the long term answer.”

We are dismayed that Defra has made this decision.

The Trust published a report in October 2011 detailing the full costs involved in the programme and demonstrating that if groups of land owners join together to vaccinate badgers against bTB, it would become more affordable with no associated negative impact. Culling, as its most vocal supporters admit, may increase bTB in neighbouring herds through perturbation with no proven benefit.

Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape for The Wildlife Trusts, said: “The Wildlife Trusts are taking the lead in using vaccination to address the problem of bovine TB. During 2011, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust pioneered a badger vaccination programme on its reserves, which it is now expanding. Should the pilot cull go ahead, Gloucestershire and Somerset Wildlife Trusts will vaccinate badgers on their nature reserves within the pilot areas."

 “A badger cull is not the right solution and the Government should be focusing on other measures to tackle bovine TB. The priority should be preventing transmission of the disease on-farm, through improved biosecurity, badger vaccination and making swift progress on a cattle vaccine.”

The Wildlife Trusts believe that Defra should pursue the following as a matter of priority:

  • Support landowners to improve on-farm biosecurity and the deployment of the injectable BadgerBCG vaccine;
  • Continue to develop an oral vaccine for badgers;
  • Complete development of a cattle vaccine and secure change to EU regulation to permit its commercial deployment.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust was the first non-governmental organisation to begin deployment of the injectable BadgerBCG vaccine on seven of its nature reserves. The outcomes from the first year of this five-year vaccination programme are available in a published report at: www.wildlifetrusts.org/badgers-and-bovineTB.
 

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