Miliband comes under pressure to tackle TB

DEFRA secretary David Miliband has faced a barrage of criticism over the government’s failure to tackle the problem of bovine TB in wildlife.

Mr Miliband looked uncomfortable as farmers questioned him about the government’s refusal to order a badger cull, during the opening day of the NFU annual conference in Birmingham.

Exmoor hill farmer and conservationist Oliver Edwards said that as a beef farmer in a one-year testing area it was of great concern that government was not tackling TB in wildlife.

“At present it seems very one-sided. You are prepared to take cattle from me if they are a reactor and then, to add insult to injury, you do not pay the true value of them. On top of that you choose to close me down for 160 days so that I can’t trade,” he said.

“I am told this is to control TB, but how can that be effective if you are not dealing with the whole problem?

“Minister I implore you to stop pussy-footing around and do something to address the issue of disease in wildlife. Otherwise this disease will continue to spread uncontrolled and continue to have dire consequences for our agriculture, tourism and the countryside.

“Why don’t you go down in history as the minister who had the courage to take positive action against TB?”

Producer Malcolm Light said farmers had been accused of spreading TB through the country and of making a profit out of TB compensation.

“Tell that to the suckled store producer who because of TB has been shut down for two years. He has no outlet for his stock, no income, no cash flow and now the bank wants his farm,” he said.

“Tell that to the pedigree breeder who when pre-movement testing a young bull calf, the calf took fright and broke its leg and had to be shot.

“My question is this: when are you going to order a cull of wildlife and eradicate TB?”

In reply, Mr Miliband said neither he nor his ministerial team were accusing farmers of the sort of things suggested by Mr Light.

But he added: “I don’t believe badger culling is straightforward. The evidence we have is that reactive culling will make things worse in the area it happens and proactive culling, even over an area of 100 sq kms can also make the problem worse, not least on the periphery of that area.

“In those circumstances, where scientists are saying that a programme of badger culling could make things worse for other farmers, I say that the only responsible thing is to look at all the scientific and organisation issues around this decision.

“No one will thank us, however courageous it might make us look in the short-term, if we make the problem worse.”

NFU president Peter Kendall said the government had to be bold as it was clear that the cycle of infection was not being broken.

“The government must have courage to tackle the reservoir of diseases in badgers. Action is long overdue. For the sake of farmers, their families, cattle and badgers, we must act now.”

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