MAFF hiding badger cull audit
15 February 2001
MAFF ‘hiding’ badger cull audit
By FWi staff
CONSERVATIONISTS have accused agriculture minister Nick Brown of trying to hide an independent audit of the governments badger-culling trials.
The audit, which was prepared by consultants Cresswell Associates, shows the trial has sno fundamental flaws, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
But the National Federation of Badger Groups claims that it is a damning indictment which identifies shortcomings within the experiment.
Elaine King, NFBG conservation officer, said the report, published on 8 February, had been buried within the MAFF website without links to another area.
“Journalists looking on the MAFF TB website for the latest on TB progress will find nothing has happened since the last piece of good news on 18 January.”
She added: “The NFBG has asked MAFF why it is mysteriously unable to keep journalists up to date on its TB website.”
A MAFF spokesman said a technical error meant the news release announcing the independent audit had not been posted on the TB website.
“We apologise and I will contact our web people now,” he said, and the situation would be rectified as soon as possible.