Badger killing humane, says MAFF

17 October 2000



Badger killing ‘humane’, says MAFF

By FWi staff

THE government has claimed that its controversial badger culling trial is humane after an independent study by a leading animal welfare expert.

An ongoing audit of the trial, which involves killing thousands of badgers to see whether they pass TB to cattle, was commissioned by ministers in April 1999.

The audit was carried out by Dr James Kirkwood, director of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, a charity which studies welfare issues.

Dr Kirkwoods report makes a series of suggestions covering the badger cull, all but two of which have been accepted, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Of the two rejected recommendations, one relates to the use of repeater firearms. The second says nocturnal badger trapping should be audited.

A Ministry of Agriculture statement said that the use of repeater firearms had been ruled out by the Governments acceptance of the Dunblane report in 1996.

Furthermore, it said that the second recommendation could not be implemented because of the risk from activists opposed to badger killing.

Police had advised MAFF that the safety of auditors working at night could not be guaranteed given the action of anti-trial protesters.

Junior agriculture minister Baroness Hayman said the trial was an important element of the strategy to develop a policy for controlling TB in cattle.

“It is important that the procedures followed by Ministry staff carrying out the trial meet high welfare standards,” she said.

“The report confirms that this is indeed the case. Where it is possible to make improvements we are acting to do so.

“Independent auditing of culling procedures, with public reporting of results, will continue.”