Have say on badger cull, NFU urges
Farmers are being urged again to have their say on government plans to cull badgers in a bid to control bovine tuberculosis in cattle.
Kevin Pearce, NFU head of food and farming said it was vital farmers responded to the government consultation before it closed in early December. Conservationists opposed to culling badgers would be making submissions and it was vital farmers had their say to.
This is a unique opportunity to try and make some progress on introducing a new policy to tackle TB in the wildlife population, which we have talked about for an awful long time, Mr Pearce told NFU council delegates in Leamington Spa.
Mr Pearce said he recognised some farmers were disappointed that the consultation method failed to included additional culling measures, such as gassing. But he added: “If we don’t seize this opportunity, it will be a long time before we get anything else.”
The NFU is halfway through a series of regional road-shows urging farmers to respond. “We still face some big challenges,” said Mr Pearce. “The minister has made a bold move by putting the forward, but this is not a done deal. It is a consultation.”
Farm leaders are still awaiting details of licensing conditions permitting badgers to be culled. One option is for groups of farmers to form a limited company, which many believe would make it easier to apply successfully for a culling licence.
Details of rules governing boundaries to culling zones have also to be thrashed out. So too have the finer points surrounding the cage-trapping and shooting of badgers. Disposal is another issue because culled badgers will be treated as diseased animal carcasses, which cannot be buried.
“We shouldn’t underestimate the consultation – it is a massive step forward,” said Mr Pearce. “But we still have work to do. There are challenges that need to be overcome. We must make sure a lot of farmers respond because you can rest assured that a lot of other groups will.”