Badgers dig into farm profits
Badgers dig into farm profits
BURROWING badgers may be costing farmers £50m a year by damaging buildings, fences and crops.
Farmers believe the cost of damage caused by badgers is probably higher than a £41.5m estimate recently published as a result of a survey by the Central Science Laboratory.
The estimate is based on survey data collected from over 3000 farmers in 1997. But since then farmers report there has been a sharp increase in the size of the badger population, which has exacerbated the problem.
"Talking to farmers across the country there is widespread evidence that the badger population has almost doubled in the last five years," said Brian Jennings, chairman of the NFUs animal health and welfare committee.
Climate, food sources and the fact that badgers had no natural predators meant numbers had spiralled and protective measures meant badgers were free to roam the country, he said.
And more badgers inevitably means more damage. "As the badger population increases then they have to find somewhere to live," he said.
He believed the bill for damage could actually be 20% higher than the MAFF figure. And he suggested that consideration should be given to allow farmers to trap and remove badgers so the population could be better managed.
Almost 30% of respondents to the questionnaire reported that badger damage had occurred on their farm in the previous 12 months.
The most common problem was damage to fences resulting from badgers burrowing activities. But farmers also reported severe direct damage to crops including wheat, maize vines, fruit and vegetables.
A spokeswoman from MAFF said the department was well aware of the problems that badgers could cause to agriculture and was continuing to fund research into preventative measures.
MAFF admits numbers are rising. A report by the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species, Changes in the Badger Population 1988 to 1997, suggested that badger activity in Britain rose by 77% between 1988 and 1997.
But the survey also showed that in most cases the reported damage was of little economic significance to individual farmers. Only 5% of respondents estimated their losses to be greater than £1000 a year, she said.
And under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, farmers could apply for licences to interfere with badgers and their setts to prevent serious damage to land and crops.