Paterson pays tribute to badger cull farmers
DEFRA secretary Owen Paterson has praised farmers and industry leaders for the resolve they have shown to help get the badger cull up and running.
A cull of around 5,000 badgers aimed at combating bovine TB in England is under way in two pilots counties in the South West.
The first operations have begun in west Somerset, while police in Gloucestershire say they are making “final preparations” for culling to begin imminently in the county.
Mr Paterson told Farmers Weekly: “It has been difficult for many, but I would pay tribute to everyone on the ground who put these (culling) companies together – the NFU, Natural England and DEFRA, who have helped the culls actually start.”
He described bovine TB as a “terrible bacterium”, but said until now the UK was the only country with a significant bovine TB problem that had not tackled the disease in wildlife.
“This country thought this disease could only be solved by addressing the disease in cattle, but you cannot. You have to address the disease in wildlife,” he added.
“In the USA, New Zealand and above all in Ireland, these countries have all tackled the disease in wildlife and seen a sharp reduction (in bovine TB) since they have started culling.
Since Ireland started culling, the average badger is 1kg heavier, Mr Paterson said. “This is a terrible disease and I want healthy badgers living alongside healthy cattle,” he added.
An estimated 5,000 badgers will be culled across both pilot zones over the next six weeks. If the policy is successful, Mr Paterson reiterated his determination to roll it out in 10 other counties next year.
The aim of the pilots is to test the safety, efficacy and humaneness by free shooting or cage trapping and shooting badgers. Culled badgers will not be tested for TB.
“We know perfectly well from previous culls there is a reservoir of disease in the badger population,” explained Mr Paterson. “We reckon 50% of TB cases in the hotspot areas in the South West are caused by the wildlife.”
He said that there could be a “very real case” for badger vaccination once we have reduced this reservoir of disease in wildlife.
The government is working with the EU on a cattle vaccination, but its introduction was “at least 10 years away”, he added.
Mr Paterson said people who were against the cull had every right to protest, as long as their actions remained lawful.
“I’m quite clear there will be legal protests, but I’m also absolutely clear that it’s inappropriate for illegal protests to spill over into active disruption of the legal project to put into effect the policy of disease reduction (of bovine TB) decided by this democratically elected government.”
Over the last 10 years, an estimated 305,000 cattle have been slaughtered because of TB, costing the taxpayer £500m. DEFRA estimates this figure will rise to £1bn over the next decade unless further action is taken.